Hell in a hospital
by Ranowa Hikura
Summary: Huddy, Chase/Cameron. House walks into a broken and traumatized Cuddy, and Chase gets a mysterious stalker. And, by Ch 8, something's up with Thirteen. I own nothing. Happy B-day, Sara!
1. Chapter 1

Well, hello, people. This is my first House fanfic- Huddy, Chase/Cameron... yeah, I thinks that all so far. Slightly AU- House and Cuddy are dating (no Rachael, sorry), and House's team is comprised of Chase (who is dating Cameron), Foreman, and Thirteen- because Taub is just weird, I hate the redhead, and Kutner died. This is also my friend's birthday present. Here you go, Mizuno-kun!

**Warning: the first half of this chapter is rated M for a rape scene. Do not read if it offends.**

Lisa Cuddy was not a stupid woman, not by any means. Top of her class in med school, first female administrator of a hospital, second youngest ever. She worked closely with world renowned doctors and had assisted in solving some of the most difficult cases that had baffled others.

Was she a weak woman? No, not in any sense. She may not be able to take out a sumo wrestler, but she could hold her own in the world.

Which was why, when she answered the door and found her violent ex-boyfriend Eric standing there, she didn't panic or slam the door in his face- something that would haunt her for years to come. "Eric!" she gasped, taking an automatic step backwards. "What the hell are you doing?"

"You!" he shouted, pushing her inside and slamming the door shut behind him. "You bitch!"

Cuddy immediately reached for the baseball bat she kept by the door for safe-keeping. Her fingers had just wrapped around the handle when his fist smashed into her face. "You filthy little whore! You told my mother you were pregnant and then got an abortion! She killed herself the next day, just like you killed our child! She wanted that child and you killed it!"

"Eric!" she shouted, scrambling back against the wall. "Eric, that pregnancy test was a false positive- I'm sorry about your mother, but-"

"Shut up, bitch! I've had enough of your lies! You had no right to kill _our_ child! You think you have control over your body? I'll show you control, bitch!" He kicked her in the stomach, and while she was still reeling from the blow and trying to catch her breath, he fell down on top of her and brushed a kiss against her lips.

"No!" she gasped, trying to kick him, but she couldn't reach him.

"I'll show you control!" He shouted, then kissed her again, and the taste of _him _in her mouth disgusted her. He bit her neck, then kissed it and ran his filthy hand down her body, sliding off shirt.

Oh god, she can't breathe, she knows what's about to happen but she can't fight any harder then she already is and she doesn't have the necessary oxygen required to scream. And dear god it hurts so much she can _feel_ her body practically splitting open as he thrusts inside her, again and again, even as she strained desperately to get away. "You in control now, bitch? You in control now?" Cuddy did not count the minutes, she didn't know how long she struggled to get free, how long she gasped for air that never satisfied her lungs.

But Cuddy's sense were on hyper drive, so she did hear someone knock on her door. Loudly and repeatably. Eric froze, then when a voice shouted, "Cuddy!", he bolted upright and dashed for her bedroom window, leaving her behind, shaking and bleeding on the floor.

House knocked on her door again, and Cuddy, still in shock, immediately got quickly to her feet, wrapping a blanket around her body as she hurried to answer the door, only concentrating on one thing: House couldn't know.

But Cuddy should have known not to try and hide things from House. It just wasn't possible. "Sorry, House, I was asleep," she told him in a hoarse voice as she opened the door, keeping her eyes glued to the floor.

He took one look at her, and that all was he needed. He saw bruises beginning to form, he saw how wide and scared her eyes were, how she favored her left side, the fact that she was naked under the blanket...

And the blood between her legs.

"Cuddy!" he gasped, taking an automatic step forward and reaching for her, stopping when she screamed and pulled away from him.

"No! Don't touch me!" she shouted, instantly on the alert for another attack. Cuddy took a step back, raising her arms up defensively, taking in a panicked breath before her brain caught up with her body. Instantly ashamed, Cuddy bowed her head and mumbled meekly, "I… I'm sorry, I... I thought..."

House looked Cuddy over again before focusing in on the rest of the room- the fact that the wall beside the door now had a doorknob-shaped dent in it, that her clothes from today were piled in a heap among the ruins of a glass table and a vase of flowers. That, coupled with Cuddy's condition and her reaction to his touch made him think that he knew what had happened... but it couldn't be true.

But House, ever the rational, logical, no-nonsense man, knew denying something would not make a fact go away. But it wasn't a fact yet.

"Lisa..." he began softly, refraining from the urge to reach out and comfort her. "Were you raped?"

She turned away from him completely, wanting to deny it, to scream that she hadn't been, that she had been strong enough to stop it, but she couldn't. She just couldn't bring herself to say it. She shook her head anyways, though it felt as if, right now, she wasn't even there, as if some pod-person had taken her place. She distantly heard a voice she recognized as her own confirm House's suspicions, but she was still in shock. Cuddy knew all the stereotypes about rape victims, but it seemed that none of them were true, or at least they didn't apply to her. She wasn't hysterical, or panicking, or screaming not to be touched. Sure, she was hypersensitive, completely and utterly aware of every single movement House made, but all she was focused on right now was trying to calm down her frantic breathing, her hectic heart rate.

"Oh... oh my god," House stuttered, for once, speechless. He couldn't believe what was happening- and for House, that was unheard of. "Oh... oh, Lisa..." The pity in his voice simply made Cuddy unnerved more and made her more attentive to just how strange the situation was and House's proximity to her, and... everything.

"I... come on, Lisa," he whispered, reverting to what he knew, since he really had no idea what to do in a situation like this. "I'll- I'll drive you down to the hospital."

At that, Cuddy perked up, instantly in a panic at the thought of her coworkers- her _friends_, for god's sakes, knowing what had happened... how weak she had been... "No!" she cried, jerking away from House and shaking her head fiercely. "No, don't, House, please! Don't take me to the hospital, please, I'm fine, I don't need you to, really- just, please..."

By the end of her short outburst, Cuddy was trembling violently, but still holding it together... so far. "Lisa," House said gently, "you're bleeding... you need to get checked out."

Cuddy hesitated, then gave him a slow nod. "All right," she said softly, her heart pounding fearfully as she imagined just lying there, letting the doctors poke and prod her...

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

Cameron pressed a kiss to Chase's cheek, then headed back to the ER, leaving Chase to return to House's office. She was just about to go yell at a young student doctor to get a tie clip when her phone started to ring. Sighing, she picked it up and said in a tired voice, "Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, emergency room. How can I help you?"

She was surprised to hear House's voice reply, but his request shocked her even more. "Cameron, this is House. I... I have a patient out in the parking lot, one that needs to be kept under the wraps. You give her your complete attention, all right?"

She hesitated, the fact that House hadn't used any sarcastic remarks in his request unnerving her slightly, then said, "House, the ER isn't for your private use. Unless you-"

"Look... Allison..." Cameron blinked in shock at the use of her name, knowing right then and there that this wasn't some sort of trick. "This case needs to be handled delicately. Get a private exam ready, then meet me at the outside entrance to the ER in five minutes, okay?"

Cameron hesitated, then said slowly, "Look, at least give me an idea what to prepare for- car crash vic, overdose, a junkie, what?"

There was a moment of silence, then House said softly, "Rape victim." Then he hung up.

Cameron stood there for a moment, shocked, then hurried to make the preparations for the patient.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

Chase walked towards House's office, which was empty except for Foreman. Said doctor glanced up when he came in, then pointed at the table and said, "You've got mail."

Chase frowned, walking forward, walking forward slowly and examining the letter. It was hand-delivered, with only the words 'Robert Chase' written on the front. Frowning again, Chase ripped open the envelope and scanned the letter. This, too, was hand-written, and he had to squint to read the messy handwriting.

'I thought you were the one

so beautiful that the angel's cry

so intelligent you can outwit the witty

But apparently, I scare you

I deny it, but it is so

deep down I knew I wasn't good enough

I'm ugly, dumb and above all else, a fool

your denial makes this more true

but this invokes my lust for you

I know I can't be with you

I need you

but the others around you agree

I am not the right one

as much as I wish this not to be true

It is so'

"What the hell?" he muttered, re-reading it again in confusion.

Foreman got up because he was bored and whatever Chase had sounded interesting. He walked over to the younger doctor and asked, "What?"

Shrugging, Chase handed him the letter and allowed him to read it, slightly unnerved. "Um... Chase, does Cameron write this kind of stuff?" he asked slowly.

"No!" he exclaimed, snatching the letter back. "Cameron's not that creepy... I don't know who it's from. That's strange..." With a confused frown, Chase stuffed the letter in his pocket, then walked over to his laptop. The first thin he noticed was three new emails in his inbox. Spam, something from Thirteen, and... huh? The last email simply had 'Robert Chase...' in the subject line and came from an unrecognizable email address- . Frowning again, he opened the email and read it quickly-

'YOU ARE WANTED

YOU WILL BE MINE

OUR LOVE IS STRONG

WE WILL BE TOGETHER

YOU WILL BE MINE'

Chase hesitated, then quickly exited out of his email, shaking his head. It was nothing... probably just spam or something... right?

*Music for Young and the Restless plays* Will Cuddy tell House what happened? Will House deal with Cuddy's rape? Will Cameron keep quiet about Cuddy? Will Chase find out who his mysterious stalker is? WILL SARAH FIND OUT THAT NICK'S CHEATING ON HER? Find out, next chapter. Or not.

And, here you go, Mizuno-kun: Sara heard someone knocking at her door. With a frown, she got up to answer it to find a wet Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds standing there... wearing a toga. "Oh, Sara..." he moaned softly, then kissed her. "I love you!" So, Sara + Spencer Reid= sex. The End. And Happy Birthday.

Review please! And no I did not write that stalker poem... MY stalker did. *faints in horror*


	2. Chapter 2

Yay! People reviewed- and I have lurkers! I love my reviewers... and my lurkers too.

Mizuno-kun: Oh god, he's not over me. I THOUGHT HE LOVED AMY! WHY WHY WHY WAAAAAAAAH! And you beat Lenora, I beat the Champion, you beat Lenora, I beat the Champion... hmm, which sounds more impressive... lol, just kidding- Lenora took me more tries than the Champion. I hate her. Grrrr

IHeartHouseCuddy: *laughs nervously/guiltily* Heh heh... heh... well, then, you'll probably hate this chapter. Don't worry, though, there's hope for Huddy yet!

TheBreakfastGenie: The only thing I've seen with the redhead in it was her rambling off some statistics thing and Taub interrupting her to say, "You suck at this." I was agreeing with him. And if Cameron wasn't so damn ethical, she would be perfect. But Thirteen is still the best.

And just a generic message: if you read my other work, then you know I like to update daily. Unfortunately, since someone *cough Sara cough* made me post this right away, I won't be able to do that with this one. So, I will apologize in advance: SORRY!

Anyways...

**Chapter 2**

Cameron met House at the entrance to the ER, but her attention was immediately drawn to the figure at his side. The mystery person was about her height, with dark brown hair, but those were all the clues to the stranger's identity Cameron had- she was dressed fully in bloodstained sweats, and a hood was shading her face, so she only saw a hint of tan skin behind her hair. She hesitated, then gestured at the woman and said, "Right this way, ma'am."

House started after her, then stopped and asked the woman slowly, "Do you... do you want me to come with you?"

She hesitated, looking House up and down, then shook her head violently and turned away, as if ashamed. House bit his lip and swallowed, keeping his expression carefully blank. "Um... Cameron, page me when you're done here," he said, then cast one last look at the woman before turning and limping off, leaving Cameron alone with the mystery girl.

She hesitated, then gestured for her to follow and walked slowly towards the exam room. When the door was shut behind her, Cameron turned towards the woman- who still had not relaxed or lowered her hood- and handed her a hospital gown, then said gently, "Okay, just... get changed into this and we can start the exam when you're ready." Cameron turned her back to give the patient some privacy while changing as well as to find some latex gloves, but when she looked back at the exam table, the person she saw nearly gave her a heart attack.

"Cuddy?"

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

House hesitated, looking between Wilson's office and his own. If he was in his office, then he would probably be free to think about what had happened- not something he wanted to do. Wilson, however, could probably distract him until the rape kit was over... Wilson's, then.

When House walked inside, he saw Wilson busy analyzing a file- perfect .Maybe it was some sort of interesting case- and this, too, could be a distraction. And distractions were always a good thing when he didn't want to think about something.

When he looked over Wilson's shoulder, however, all he saw was a boring X-Ray of metastatic squeamous cell lung cancer- fun to say, boring to diagnose. "Damn," he muttered, trudging across the office to Wilson's couch and collapsing onto it, kicking his feet up and groaning in exhaustion. He saw Wilson staring at him, so, with an eye roll, House barked, "What?"

Wilson stared at him in confusion, then said slowly, "Well... for one, you looked at my file, which means you're looking for work, and you're average daily activities consist of doing the 'avoiding Cuddy dance'... for another, you're wearing a blood-stained shirt. Either you killed someone and want an alibi, or... yeah, that's the only explanation I can think of.

House hesitated, then shook his head. He didn't want to tell Wilson about Cuddy's rape- especially if she was planning on keeping a secret.

But Wilson wasn't stupid, either. "Wait... wasn't tonight your six month anniversary with Cuddy?" When House didn't reply, Wilson put away his file and resumed watching him carefully. "Did something happen?"

House paused, unsure of how to respond, then asked an entirely unrelated question, one that would hopefully appease him. "Wilson, what do you think about a woman who doesn't want her boyfriend there during the rape kit?"

Wilson blinked at the sudden change in conversation, then asked slowly, "Um, three questions. Was the woman raped, if so, is the boyfriend her rapist, and is the hypothetical situation?"

House groaned, then said, "Yes, she was... she was raped, and _no_ I'm- I mean, the boyfriend's not her rapist." House bit his lip, hoping Wilson wouldn't notice his slip-up or the fact that he hadn't answered his last question.

Wilson frowned then said, " Well, then I would say that she would feel threatened by any man's presence and wouldn't want to be with anyone male right then- and you didn't answer my last question."

"Oh, so... it's not personal, then?" he asked, almost to himself, then said louder, "And yes, Wilson, I'm asking because I was raped but I don't want you there for the rape kit," he finished sarcastically, rolling his eyes at Wilson.

The doctor just sighed and went back to his paperwork, shaking his head. "Why are you here, anyway? What happened with Cuddy?"

Once again, House was left with nothing to say. He just shook his head and said, "Nothing, really. We-" House was interrupted by his pager going off. House looked at it, hesitated, then tossed the annoying little device at Wilson. "Get that, will you? I have to go diagnose somebody in my office." He was gone before Wilson could protest.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

After paging House, Cameron walked slowly back over to Cuddy and sat tentatively down by her side. "Hey," she said softly after a moment of silence passed.

Cuddy looked up jerkily and gave her a small, slow smile. "Hey."

"So, I paged House..." she started off confidently, then trailed off, unsure of what to say. Cuddy paled at the mention of House, then perked up, seemingly eager to see him. "Cuddy... I know you're not reporting this to the police, but... can you tell me why not?"

Cuddy shook her head quickly, wrapping her arms around herself as she said firmly, "This is gonna stay a secret. Just me, House, and you know. Its not even that big of a deal, really. I... I, um... look, everything will be back to normal in a couple of days."

Cameron sighed compassionately, then asked gently, "Cuddy, I... what happened?"

Cuddy looked up right at her, piercing her with a cold glare as she snapped, "That is not for you to know, Dr. Cameron. Just... page House and leave. Please?" Cuddy's anger was gone as quickly as it had come, and now she just wanted Cameron to leave and House to come. Even though she didn't want to be seen by House, for him to think she was weak... House was always able to distract her. And now she was glad that he didn't do sympathy well- because she didn't want sympathy. She just wanted everything to go back to normal.

With another sigh, Cameron got to her feet as she said, "I already did. He should be on his way right-" she was interrupted by a hesitant knock on the door. "- right now," she finished, then headed over to the door, but she was not expecting who was behind it.

"Wilson?" Cuddy's head snapped up at Wilson's name and she turned to stare at him, stunned.

"Dr. Wilson?" she asked, staring at him in confusion. "What are you doing here? Where's House?"

"He gave his pager to me and told me to handle it- Cuddy, Cameron, what are you doing here?" Wilson looked between the two women in confusion, focusing on Cuddy when she took a hesitant step away from him and shrunk back.

"I... I, uh..." she mumbled, looking anywhere but at Wilson.

Cameron, to Wilson's shock, wrapped her arms around Cuddy briefly and pulled her close, rubbing small circles into her back. "Tell him," she instructed softly, so quiet that Wilson couldn't hear her. Then she released Cuddy and turned on her heel, heading from the room as she called over her shoulder, "I'm going to find House." Then she shut the door, leaving Wilson and Cuddy alone.

"Cuddy, what is going on?"

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

"So, she either has Guillain Barre Syndrome or Hepatitis E," House said slowly, trying to get one of the idiots who had taken up residence in his office to get the answer. "Is there anyway we can eliminate-"

"What the hell are you doing?" Cameron demanded as she stormed into his office, glaring at him furiously, her eyes cold as ice.

House blinked, looking at her in surprise before playing dumb. "I don't know what-"

"Why aren't you in the ER?"

House just looked at her before turning back to the white board as he said simply, "Because I'm not dying."

Cameron stared at him in shock, then snapped, "She needs you right now, House, and sending-"

"Hey, could you save the catfight for later?" Foreman cut in, glaring at the two doctors. "We need to-"

"Oh, go treat your patient for Guillian Bare, would you?" Cameron said coldly, still without removing her glare from House.

Foreman shook his head and said, "No, Hep E could also-"

"No it can't, the paralysis is ascending. And if you had anybody besides House leading this team, you would have decided it was something other then the only-five-cases-reported-in-the-U.S.-ever-disease and treated him for it a long time ago," Cameron told him, even though she had yet to even look at Foreman.

The others looked at House, who groaned, the nodded. "Fine, I guess it would have taken you guys too long to figure it out anyway. Foreman, Thirteen, go treat him." The two doctors left, leaving a confused Chase staring between House and Cameron.

"You still haven't answered my question- why the _hell_ did you send _Wilson _to the ER?"

Cameron demanded, and Chase was surprised to see his normally pacifist girlfriend looking like she wanted to hit something.

House shrugged, deliberately playing dumb once again. "Wilson is more suited to hold her hand and be nice than me. I figured that she'd want a comforting presence instead of-"

"She doesn't want Wilson, she wants _you_!" Cameron shouted, taking another step forward.

"Okay, slow down," Chase said, getting to his feet and staring at them in confusion. "Who is 'she', why does Cameron care so much, and what does House have to do with her?"

House started to answer, but Cameron snapped, "You're trying to make this situation about you when _she's_ the one who hurting and _she's_ the one who needs help! If you don't help her, go to her, comfort her, she's eventually going to stop asking and find somebody else."

"What the hell do you expect me to do, Cameron, just walk in there and say, "Hi, sorry I wasn't there before, but I'm here now, lets go home and have comfort sex'? I don't know what do in a situation like this, but Wilson-"

"Doesn't either! None of us do! But if you abandon her now, it'll kill her. All you have to do is go be with her, damn it! That _alone_ will help. Sending your friend in when she needs _you_ is perhaps just one better then sending no one at all. I'm just surprised you didn't send one of your team to deal with her..."

House stared at her, then started off, "Cameron-"

"_No excuses_, House! Go! Go _now_!" House glared at her, then stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him. Cameron seriously doubted he was going to Cuddy, but if he wanted to abandon her and probably lose her forever, then fine. It wasn't her problem. She had done everything she could.

Chase stared after him, then turned to Cameron and asked, "What was _that _about?"

She hesitated, mindful of her promise to Cuddy, then shook her head and said, "Nothing. House promised a little girl he'd be in the ER with her when they, uh... when they stitched up her head, but now he's backing out, as usual."

Chase frowned, unconvinced, but decided to let the subject drop. "Um... right. Cameron, I know this isn't really a good time, but... well, did you write these?" He showed her both the letter and the email, watching her expression.

Cameron read them slowly, then turned back to Chase, shocked. "Hell no. God, Chase... who- where did they- ?"

He shook his head at her nervous look and gave her a quick kiss. When he pulled back, he said, "It's nothing to worry about, honey... The email's probably spam and the letter's got to be just a prank."

"Yeah, but at the same time?" she asked, still unconvinced. "I don't-"

"Shh. It's nothing," he interrupted, kissing her again. "Come on. Now that we don't have a case, I can think of something alot better things we can do with your time..."

Cameron smiled and batted her eyelashes seductively, looping an arm around her waist. "Oh, can you now? Well, I-"

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Dr. House?"

Chase and Cameron immediately pulled apart, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, he's not here right now," Cameron mumbled, taking another step backward. "He's busy."

The man looked between Chase and Cameron in confusion then said slowly, "Look, it really is important that I speak with him now. Are you sure he won't spare a _minute_?"

"Yes," Cameron said firmly. "And he's not going to be free for the foreseeable future- are you sure I can't help you with something?"

"No!" he snapped, suddenly angry. "No! I only want the best doctor in this hospital, and that's Dr. House! No one else!"

"Well, I'm sorry," Cameron reiterated, "but he really isn't available right now. If you would just-"

"Oh really? Then maybe this will make him 'available'." Cameron and Chase looked at each other, confused, then Cameron screamed when she saw him whip out a gun and pull the trigger.

Ooh, dramatic scene fail! And Chase's stalker is going to say goodbye for a few chapters, I guess- sorry Sara! And I'll try and give 13 a real role next chapter. Review please!


	3. Chapter 3

Well, I managed to write this in one day- and I see have more lurkers. And reviewers. Hmm… well, I love my reviewers, and I love/like my lurkers. But I'd love you with you reviewed!

Modest Jonathan: ENOUGH WITH THE SHOTTED STUFF! I like shined better anyway. :D

**Chapter 3**

Wilson sat tentatively next to Cuddy, watching her carefully. Since she didn't seem too frightened by his presence, he asked her softly, "Cuddy, do you know who it was?"

Cuddy, who had refrained from crying or hysterics while she had told him what had happened, shook her head and turned completely away from Wilson. "No, no, I... I, um, don't," she mumbled, but it was clearly a lie.

"Cuddy..." Wilson started off slowly, not sure how to go about saying this, "Listen, I don't know if you're scared that he'll come back, or if you're just..." When Cuddy bit her lip uncertainly and continued to stare at her hands, Wilson frowned, thinking he might understand. After a moment of silence, he asked hesitantly, "Cuddy... are you... ashamed?" When Cuddy didn't answer, he slowly, gently took her hand into his own and said, "Lisa... why... there is absolutely no reason for you to be ashamed. You didn't do anything wrong."

"No!" she exclaimed, shaking her head furiously. "No, _know _ it's not my fault... I know it isn't... I just..." Cuddy sighed, then got to her feet and started pacing around the room. It disturbed her that she had to keep assuring herself that it wasn't her fault, that she hadn't asked for this...

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

House was currently standing outside the exam room, debating his options. He did not want to go in there. Then he wouldn't be able to control anything. He hadn't been able to stop Cuddy from being raped, and now he wouldn't be able to control what she would have to go through as a result. And House did not like environments that he could not control.

Luckily, he was able to postpone going inside a little longer, and he silently thanked god as he answered his ringing cell phone. "House's House of whining, state your complainant."

"Is this Dr. House?"

Groaning, though he was silently jumping for joy, House hoped this take at least half an hour and said, "The one and only."

"Good. Dr. House, you need to get to your office- now," he said simply, more like it was an order, rather than a request.

House frowned, uncertain. Even though he was _very_ happy for the distraction, even he had to admit that this was a little strange. "Well, I'll only go to my office if you're someone I want to meet, like a young hooker or a supermodel. If you are, however, someone I want to avoid, like the IRS or my mother, then-"

"Would you go to save a colleague's life?" The unfamiliar voice asked.

House scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Look, while I'm sure you terrible cold or flu or whatever is life-threatening, I really-"

"_House_!" A new voice screamed... Cameron? "_House_! Get down here _now_!"

"Cameron?" he asked after a moment of pure confusion. "What's going on?"

"It's Chase! This son of a bitch shot Chase and now he won't let us go until you get here! Oh my god, Chase-"

"That's enough!" The unfamiliar voice shouted again. "Just get down here _now_- and pull the fire alarm, I don't want anyone else around to see what's going on and call the cops." Then the line went dead.

House remained frozen in shock for a moment, trying to process the situation and weighing his options. He could go down to his office without pulling the fire alarm and probably get Chase or Cameron- or himself- killed, he could pull the fire alarm and probably end up the same result... or he could somehow get Cuddy to place a 911 call, explaining the situation. House knew he didn't have time to find one of the hospital's security team... right. Cuddy was his only option.

He walked over to the fire alarm and, when he was sure that no one was looking, pulled it. At the screeching alarm, people looked around in surprise, then started filing out of the ER, grumbling under their breaths. House waited until Cuddy exited the exam room, Wilson's arm around her shoulders, to hurry over to them.

"Cuddy-" he started, but Wilson cut him off the moment he saw him.

"House! What the hell do you think you're doing? Why on earth did you send me instead of-"

He groaned, then interrupted Wilson before he could get off full speed on his rant. "Look, you're mad at me, I get it, but I really don't care- I pulled that fire alarm, and there is no fire. Someone is holding Chase and Cameron hostage in my office and he said if I didn't pull the fire alarm to get people out of the hospital, he'd kill them."

Wilson and Cuddy froze, both staring at him in shock. Cuddy recovered first, somehow putting up her hospital administrator facade as she snapped, "And you actually pulled the fire alarm? You do know that means a fire truck is going to show up here, right?"

Wilson stared at her in surprise while House retorted, "Well, I was going to call the SWAT team, they are on my speed dial, after all, but I thought-"

"Damn it, House!" she practically shouted, her voice echoing around the now empty room, "Now you've left _me_ to clean up _your _messes, as usual! All right, the only reason this guy would come here at work is because he wants a diagnosis, so you'll need your whole team together for this. Wilson, call Thirteen and Foreman and get them back in the building. House, you go down to your office, _right now_. Considering the circumstances, it's all we can do right now. I'm calling 911 and telling them the _real_ situation," she said, giving House another scathing glare.

Once again, it was Wilson who was outwardly concerned for Cuddy. He hesitated, then said, "Cuddy, are you _really_ sure you should be doing this right now? I mean, you don't have to. I can-"

"No!" She was shouting again as she whirled on Wilson, transferring her furious glare to him. "No I am not sure but there's nothing else I can do! Just call Thirteen and Foreman ! And House, go down to your office now before someone gets killed!" She broke off in her rant and stormed over to the receptionist's desk, furiously punching the numbers to call 911. Wilson and Chase stared after her, then followed her instructions- Wilson, because he wanted to keep an eye on Cuddy, House, because he didn't want to know what would happen to Chase and Cameron if he stayed here much longer.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

Panting, Cameron pressed Chase's ripped shirt harder into his chest, trying to staunch the bleeding. It _still_ wasn't working. "Come _on_!" she shouted at Jason, who was currently stroking his gun like it was a fluffy kitten rather then a weapon used to kill. "He's _dying_! We need to get him to ER, _now_!"

Jason just shook his head, smiling slightly. "No, I think I'll wait here for the esteemed Dr. House to arrive. And even then, I'll still need the ace up my sleeve to get him to do what I want. That's your boyfriend there." Chase, who was barely conscious, groaned again, his eyes fluttering open as Cameron tried desperately to keep him alive.

_Come on, House!_ she prayed frantically, keeping pressure on Chase's wound. _Please! Hurry!_

Right on cue, House entered the office, for once without any sarcastic remarks to go with his entrance. Jason immediately backed up against the wall, holding his gun up to House. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded, his eyes trained on House, ignoring Chase and Cameron completely.

"_I'm_ Dr. House. You were yelling for me to get down here over the phone!" he snapped, focusing on Chase completely. The gunshot wound did not appear to be too serious, but, if left untreated, Chase could very well die. "Now, why the hell did you take two of my team hostage?"

He looked between the three doctors, then nodded at a stack of files on the table and said, "Those are my medical records. You are, from what I've heard, one of the best doctors available. So, diagnose me, or your colleague will pay the price." Chase chose this moment to slide into unconsciousness again, leaving Cameron frantically working to stop the bleeding and House trying to figure out a way out of this.

House looked between Chase and the guy with the gun before nodding. "Let me call my team."

He pulled out his cell phone, stopping when the guy shouted, "Hey!" and aimed the gun at him again. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Rolling his eyes, House waved his phone at the guy and said, "Calling my team. It's not all _my_ brilliance that solves these cases, you know. I do need my team to do some of the physical labor, so I am calling them to help me diagnose you. Really, I don't see the problem. You get a diagnosis either way, this way is just faster."

The guy hesitated, then nodded. "Make the call."

Yeah, I didn't give 13 a role. Sorry! I'll try to work her in next chapter- and I hope to make that one longer. Review please.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry it took so long for me to update, I've been busy. Thank you, reviewers! …and lurkers!

Sara: You, watch who you're telling off! That's a twenty-one year old drunk with violent tendencies, a drug problem, and a job at a hardware store. :D

Jonathan: Oh, really? Does McCall know you said that about thirteen? *Aunt Peggy impersonation* huh does she does she does she come on tell me I must know EVERYTHING about you're life FJJKLHFJKHJK

And I forgot to mention- NO Foreman/Thirteen. I'm sorry, I just don't why the show paired these people together.

**Chapter 4**

Thirteen led the way as Foreman trailed behind, grumbling under his breath. If she was honest with herself, Thirteen wasn't too thrilled right now, either- well, that was an understatement, she was scared as hell that someone was going to wind up getting killed. But having Foreman constantly complaining about House wasn't helping.

Cuddy and Wilson met up with them in the foyer of the hospital, both of them looking as worried as Thirteen felt. "Hey, you two, get over here," Wilson called, beckoning them over to the front desk. "SWAT team's gonna be here in about ten minutes, and we have House on line one right here. Cuddy and I are going to wait for the police out front, can you two-"

"-stay here and work with House? Done," Thirteen said as she slipped behind the desk and went to put the phone on speaker.

"Wait! Cuddy!" Foreman called, making the mistake of reaching out to stop her.

The moment Cuddy saw his hand coming, she jerked back, raising her hands defensively as she screamed, "No! No, don't touch me!" Foreman and Thirteen both stared at her in shock while Wilson hesitated behind her, waiting to see if he should intercede. After a few seconds, Cuddy shook her head and took another step, interrupting Foreman asking if she was okay to say, "I, um... I'm sorry, I... just talk to House. Now."

Foreman and Thirteen stared after her in shock as she stalked off. Wilson offered an apologetic shrug before he hurried after her, leaving the two stunned doctors behind. They turned to look at each other, surprised, then Thirteen just shook her head and hurried back behind the desk again.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

The hostage taker- who's name was Jason- pointed his gun at House again as he snapped, "Hurry the hell up! I don't care if your friend bleeds to death, but you should. And the only way to save his life is to get me a diagnosis!"

House glared at him, shaking his head. "I can't get you your damn diagnosis because the tests take longer then Chase has left! I'm sure a gun to my head would be pretty of incentive to solve your case, there's no damn reason to let him die."

Cameron looked up from her spot on the floor next to Chase and gasped, "House! House, Chase is going into hypovolemic shock- do something! _please_!"

"I can't do anything!" House shouted back. "How the hell can I do anything with a cane, a coffee pot, and a maniac's gun? He needs to get down to the ER- which is what I just finished saying!"

Jason exclaimed, "No, I already said that-"

"House!" Everybody's attention was directed to the voice emanating from the phone in the middle of the room. "House, it's Thirteen and Foreman."

House waved for everyone else in the room to shut up as he said, "All right, you two, we need a diagnosis within half an hour unless we want to find a new blond model for a doctor. Chase is going into shock and unless we treat it immediately..." There was no need for House to finish his sentence- they all knew Chase's fate if they didn't replace the lost blood.

Thirteen's voice replied, "Well then tell us the damn symptoms!"

House just shook his head with a groan. "Why waste time when you can see the file? He said he came here for a diagnosis last month, his file will be in the computer records. Cuddy's password is 'Kira's girl'. All caps."

House heard Foreman say faintly, "I'm on it." ...which left them all in the same place as they had before.

HOUSE HOSUE HOUSE

Cuddy was pacing frantically back and forth, trying to focus only on the situation at hand. If she didn't think about before then it couldn't distract her- of course, Wilson and his intrusive questions weren't helping anything.

"Cuddy, are you absolutely sure you want to be doing this right now?" he asked again worriedly. "If you want, I'll tell the SWAT team that you're home sick, or that you're out of town, or- anything, really. I can handle this, you don't have to-"

"Wilson, just how many times are you going to ask me if I'm ready for this? I _told_ you, I'm _fine_. I'm needed here right now, anyway. And what would I do at home, Wilson, just keep calling you for updates? No. I'm staying here," she stated firmly, shaking her head again.

Wilson hesitated, then said doubtfully, "All right, I'll give you that one, but you don't need to be running this situation. I've got it under control. You have more important things to focus on." At Cuddy's fierce glare, Wilson stepped forward and said softly, "Cuddy, you were just raped. It's okay if it takes some time to-"

"No!" Cuddy snapped, shaking her head. "No, I'm fine! For the _last time_, Wilson!"

"Look, at least because it's your boyfriend being held hostage," he practically pleaded with her. "Its personal for you. And you really shouldn't-"

"Oh yeah?" she retorted as she started pacing again, clearly on the edge of a breakdown. "And what about you? House is _your_ best friend! You've known Chase and Cameron for years! You're not one to be talking about this being personal for me, Wilson!" Her voice cracked slightly, but she continued, trying desperately to hold it together. "And if you try and even _suggest_ for me to go home again, I swear to god, I'll-"

"You'll what, exactly?" Wilson asked, grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards him, ignoring the flash of fear in her eyes. "Cuddy, all I'm trying to get you to do is take a day off for once. You never do, and now, you deserve it more than ever. You're a rape victim, and you need to deal with it before-"

"_No_! Shut up, Wilson, shut up!" she practically screamed, wrenching out of his grasp and shoving him back. "I am _not_ a victim, Wilson! Don't you _ever_ say that!" There was a moment's silence, then she just shook her head and leaned against the wall of the hospital, covering her face with her hands as her shoulders started to shake.

"Hey," Wilson said softly with a quiet sigh, walking over to her. He didn't say anything more, just wrapped his arms around her and let her sob softly into his chest. For once, she didn't pull away, and he was glad she wasn't shutting him out... at least, for now.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, almost inaudibly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

Foreman beckoned at Thirteen for him to come and read the computer screen. "Jason came in because he vomited blood. When the doctor talked to him, he said he had some stiffness, ataxia, muscle spasms, jaundice, some speech problems, and fatigue- his roommate came with him, and _he_ said that Jason had been acting weird lately- based off this file, confusion, personality changes, dementia..." he paraphrased. "Based off that, since most of the symptoms seem neurological... brain tumor?"

Thirteen scoffed and rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Yep, because a brain tumor can cause coughing up blood... infection?"

It was Foreman's time to laugh, and he would of if the situation hadn't been so severe. "Oh, yes, he's had an infection for three months- he came here first in January, Thirteen."

They were all silent, then, trying to figure out how to connect the blood to the rest of the symptoms. House said from over the phone, "Ignore the blood. Its not related to the symptoms- some other condition."

"House!" They heard Cameron shout. "You can't just ignore the most serious symptom! And get down here and help me help Chase!" Thirteen and Foreman shared an uneasy glance at the desperation in Cameron's voice, but said nothing.

"Fine!" House called. "A Mallory-Weiss tear, a bad car crash- hell, maybe he had a nosebleed and accidentally swallowed some of the blood- but if you get distracted by the blood, you won't be able to diagnose him. Get Wilson and ask him about cancer, and- oh my god. Cameron- Cameron, help!"

There was some rustling over the phone, and Thirteen and Foreman heard Cameron gasp, then exclaim, "Chase! Chase, no!"

"Start CPR, I'll keep pressure on the wound," House called, barely loud enough to be heard over the phone. "Cameron!" he shouted a second later. "Cameron, snap out of it! Chase needs you right now- _Cameron_"

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

House watched as the younger doctor continued to beat Chase's heart for him, biting his lip so hard the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. Cameron felt his pulse for what seemed like the hundredth time. For the first time, she looked up in excitement and gasped, "I've got a pulse!"

House leaned back in exhaustion, breathing hard. _Thank god_. Cameron leaned down and kissed Chase's cheek and murmured in his ear, "Don't you dare try and leave me again!"

Jason called from the corner, "Yeah, yeah, life saved, crisis averted, sentimental moment and all, I don't care. I'm not here to watch you save _his_ life. Get the hint?"

House glared at him, then pulled the file off the table and started looking through it again. After a moment, he glanced back at Chase and Cameron and said, "Cameron... if that happens again, I can't guarantee I'll be able to bring him back. I'm sorry..."

Cameron stared at him in horror, then clutched Chase's bloody hand to her chest as she snapped, "I know, House. And I'm not going to let him die."

House just shook his head and went back to the file. He didn't bother saying that it really had nothing to do with Cameron- Chase's time was running out, and no matter how much Cameron loved him, love couldn't replace blood. Love couldn't keep him alive. Nothing could guarantee his survival right now. A normal man would pray- House would just have to settle with solving this case as fast as possible and relying on man's science to save Chase.

Cookies to anyone who can diagnose Jason before I reveal what he has! And, Jonathan... look around for you black duck tape sword... see it anywhere? Review please


	5. Chapter 5

Normalscaresme: yeah, I really don't like Huddy either. The only pairings I REALLY like for the show are Wamber and Chase/13. If Cameron wasn't such a damn saint I'd like her for Chase too. But... well, my House fic still ended up being Huddy :(

Frostspirit: Nope- but the blood is connected to everything else. But that symptom wasn't because of the lungs. Big shock, House was wrong- happens every episode, and the patient's gonna die in five minutes. Ten seconds later- oops, you have some rare complication of the flu or a disease with a really long name no one's every heard of, and you're going to be fine.

And Jonathan... if you don't update, I can still call upon Aunt Peggy and mention McCall... :D By the way- people at school read Casey's Pastries. 0.0 They want to know what inspired people/food sex. And food/food sex.

Sara- don't worry! Your stalker WILL come back, I promise. Let me take care of Jason first, though.

**Chapter 5**

"Yeah, three doctors- one was shot, but we don't know anything recent on his condition."

The SWAT commander nodded before inquiring more about the situation, Wilson off to the side, watching Cuddy closely as she answered. Despite his warnings, Cuddy had still taken over when the SWAT team had arrived, which worried him greatly. She was _already _stretched too thin, the addition of the police was simply pushing things too far- as if she wasn't already past her limit...

Wilson continued to watch, concerned, as Cuddy gave an absentminded nod. It was clear- too him, at least- that she was focusing far more on the SWAT team's proximity to her and how much bigger they were than she was rather than the commander's questions. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath. _I knew I shouldn't of let her do this... She's dealing with too much already. If she keeps going, she's going to end up passing out from the stress of it all. I wouldn't be surprised if she fainted right now._

Suddenly, his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, then answered it and asked, "What is it, Thirteen? I'm out here with the SWAT team, and-"

"Two things," she interrupted in an urgent voice, panting voice. "First, House wants to ask you about cancer for Jason. Second, tell the SWAT guys that Chase went into cardiac arrest a few minutes ago. House and Cameron brought him back, but he's not going to last much longer."

Wilson froze in horror, then hurried over to Cuddy and the SWAT team. "Um, you guys?" he started hesitantly. "I just got a call from Thirteen, one of House's team- she said that our wounded hostage isn't going to last much longer. I've gotta get in there, but unless you SWAT people end this and end it _now_, Chase won't make it out alive." Cuddy stared at him, horrified, and Wilson nodded grimly before hurrying back inside.

Thirteen and Foreman were both arguing back and forth about whatever the hell Jason could have, but Wilson was far more interested in Chase's welfare than the psycho maniac's. Especially when said psycho maniac had a gun and was threatening to kill people unless he got his damn diagnosis.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

House glanced back from his whiteboard at Chase and Cameron. The only proof that was alive was the blood gushing from the gunshot wound- and that wasn't exactly comforting to look at it. Cameron had taken over his job of keeping Chase alive, leaving the diagnosing to House.

Unfortunately, if he left out the blood, then every single one of Jason's symptoms could be neurological besides the jaundice- and that was because of liver failure caused by a car crash. Hardly related to the current symptoms.

Unless... what if it was? If Jason had come in with liver failure after escaping a car crash, the doctors would naturally connect the two. He would do it himself. But if it was only a coincidence that he happened to get in a car crash, that the liver failure had nothing to do with it, then he could put it back in with the symptoms, which made it that much easier to diagnose.

But he still had to find a way to explain why his liver didn't just fail again- something the hospital had done after the liver transplant must have temporarily treated Jason's condition. House hesitated, looking up and down the symptoms again. Hospitals gave liver transplant patients Interferon and immunosuppresants. Interferon... no, that would only protect against infection, and if he had had an infection this serious for all these months, Jason would have died long time ago. Immunosuppresants... that would treat an auto immune disease. He headed back to the phone and explained his new theory to Foreman and Thirteen, then said, "Foreman, you're the neurologist. Give me autoimmune diseases that cause neurological symptoms."

"Doesn't matter!" Foreman explained furiously. "The tests _all_ take longer than Chase has left! He's running out of blood and soon it won't matter what Jason has, because Chase'll be dead!"

House turned to Jason, who was watching the unfolding situation apathetically. "He's right!" he exclaimed, when the psycho did not react to Foreman's words. "You can't use Chase as a threat anymore; we can't diagnose you in time!"

"You know what?" Jason asked slowly, looking down at Chase then back at House. "I think you're lying. I think your colleague has alot more time left than you're saying. I think you're lying to get him out of here, to safety. Does sound about right, Dr. House?"

House turned desperately back to Chase and Cameron, for once, unable to face the reality in front of him. That was when Cameron gave Chase the slim possibility at life. "House!" she cried, pressing her hands down harder on Chase's wound. "House, Chase is dying because he's running out of blood- well, Chase and I are the same type!" When House continued to stare at her in shock, Cameron practically shouted, "I can give him blood, House! I can at least buy him some time!"

House didn't respond, too stunned to remember how to speak. Eventually, it was Foreman who shouted, "Cameron, _no_! You can't risk it! Chase has already lost too much blood! If you-"

"I have to try!" Cameron snapped, beyond determined. It took only look at her face for House to know that talking Cameron out of this would be an impossibility. She was too damn stubborn. She was going to risk her life on the miniscule chance that it might save Chase's.

"Some old guy from the clinic gave blood in my office yesterday. The equipment's still in here. It's not ideal, but we're not working under the best of circumstances anyway," he said, looking hesitantly at Cameron.

She nodded grimly. "Set it up."

House hesitated again, looking to Jason. He shrugged. "I really don't care what you do, so long as you get around to diagnosing me. I've got time. Your Dr. Chase doesn't, though." House glared at him, then hurried over to get the necessary equipment.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

Thirteen and Foreman stared at the phone in shock, then Thirteen said quickly, "Okay, now that Cameron's going to give blood, she might pass out, which means its just us and House. We have-"

"Don't forget me," Wilson said as he jogged up, panting slightly. "I'm your friendly neighborhood oncologist."

Foreman shook his head, biting his lip. "No, House changed his mind. He thinks it autoimmune now- of course, its just our luck that none of us is a rheumatologist."

Wilson shrugged as he sat down on the receptionist's desk, shoving some clipboards out of the way. "Well, there's no harm in covering all your bases. Especially in the current situation. Now, let me see that file."

Thirteen complied, swiveling the computer screen around for Wilson to see. "And, just so you know," she said, "Cameron is giving blood to Chase to keep him alive. She'll be able to keep him stable for about... an hour, maybe? But that's if we're lucky. Most likely scenario, they both... die."

Wilson stared at her in horror, then exclaimed, "And who the hell thought up that stupid idea? That is the most-"

"It was Cameron! She suggested it, and House is just going along with it."

Shaking his head, Wilson turned back to the computer and looked over the symptoms list again, this time with a new urgency. Knowing Cameron, she would try and give Chase more than the safe amount of blood and end up going into hypovolemic shock herself.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

When all the equipment was finally set up, House looked up at Cameron and asked, "Are you _sure_ about this, Cameron? You know the risks involved. If you give even-"

"House!" she cried, desperate. "_Yes _I'm _sure_! Now, you're wasting time- time that Chase doesn't have! _Hurry_!"

House grimaced, then pushed the IV tube into Cameron's wrist, one end already in Chase, and tied the turquinet around Cameron's arm. The still conscious doctor elevated her arm and just let gravity do its work. House got off the ground and took a step back, watching as blood from Cameron slowly made its way into Chase. "That's sixteen minutes on the clock," he said, setting the timer on the table. "After that, I can't afford to let you give anymore, Cameron. You'd be at too much risk."

Cameron glared at him, but kept silent, already feeling slightly dizzy from the blood loss. She glanced blearily back up at the two men as Jason called, "Hello, guy with a gun over here, requesting a doctor?"

With a groan, House turned back to him, but knew time was still running out. Cameron hadn't bought them enough time to do nearly any tests. The situation hadn't changed- well, actually, it had. Now there two doctors losing blood instead of one.

Sorry that was so short, but it was either that or make it really long. Diagnosis for Jason is coming up next chapter. Also, before you get on my case- EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THIS CHAPTER IS MEDICALLY SOUND! I promise. Just ask Modest Jonathan about me and my medical knowledge and prepare to get bored to death by a long rant full of annoyingly long words that he doesn't understand and has no idea how to pronounce. Also, Jonathan, a note to you.. I have two words to say: SACROIDOSIS. BENOVAK.

Thank you. Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

HuddyFan: Um... this fic IS Huddy. Just because I don't particularly like a pairing doesn't mean I can't write a fic for it. On a related note, House and Cuddy finally get reunited in this chapter, so get ready for Huddy scenes! (Sorry, NO smut)

And nope, not CO poisoning. Although I WAS considering giving Jason that.

And Sara, I think this chapter will make you happy. Particularly the ending...

**Chapter 6**

The timer on the table beeped and House knocked to the floor with his cane, smiling when the fall broke the cheap piece of plastic. "Okay, time's up," House said to no one in particular, since Cameron had passed out over ten minutes ago. He removed the makeshift IV from her and Chase, taping over each wound.

With another worried at Chase, House got slowly to his feet, biting his lip. Cameron had only bought Chase about an hour of time. Still, not enough time to diagnose Jason.

Just then, said maniac shouted, "Hey! I don't know if you've forgotten about me or something, but in case you have, I have a gun and want you to diagnose me- _now_!" He threw the file over at House, then swore. "Damn paper cut," he muttered under his breath, glaring furiously at the spot of blood on his thumb. He sucked it off his skin, ignoring completely House's shocked look, then winced and made a sour face. "Salty. And coppery. Yuck."

Normally, House would have just discounted the statement and went on trying to find a way out of situation, but one word stood out to him- _coppery._

_Copper._

An overload of copper in Jason's symptoms would cause every single last one of his symptoms- even the liver failure. The reason he got better after the transplant was because standard hospital breakfasts consisted of cereal, which was high in Vitamin E. Vitamin E was a temporary treatment for Wilson's disease- where the body built up too much copper.

And... Wilson's had been known to cause sociopathy Which made perfect sense, seeing as Jason didn't care the slightest that Chase could die through his actions, for absolutely no reason at all.

House smiled eagerly- while Wilson's wasn't the only disease that fit, it was one of the few that he could test and confirm and the little time that Chase had left.

"Jason!" he exclaimed, turning around to face him. "Thirteen, Foreman, Wilson- you three, get a slit-lamp eye examination kit down here right away."

"What? Why?" Thirteen asked, trying to keep the urgency out of her voice and failing miserably. "What the hell is that going to do?"

"Yeah! And nothing is coming down here without me knowing why!" Jason added, taking a threatening step forward and raising his gun, glaring furiously at House.

Rolling his eyes, House said quickly, "Wilson's disease. It would cause all the symptoms- and the reason he got better after the liver transplant was because standard hospital breakfast consists of cereal, which-"

"-is high in Vitamin E, a temporary treatment for Wilson's!" Foreman finished for him. "It's a long shot... but, considering the circumstances, it's all we have. I'll get the machine and... leave it in the hallway where you can see that, how's that sound?"

House glanced back at Jason, who was staring at the phone, dumbfounded. "Sounds perfect," House said for him. "See you in five."

He heard the sounds of Foreman getting up and leaving, then Jason shouted, "Hey! What was that- what's going on, what's that doctor bringing down here? If it's anything that can-"

"Oh, relax," House said, waving his hand at Jason while backing up slightly. "It's just a machine I can use to look at your eyes. If I see some copper-colored rings around your irises, then that means you have Wilson's, and you can let me, Chase, and Cameron go. Case solved, another-"

"Wait up a second," Jason said suspiciously, glancing back at the phone again. "How do I know

you're not lying about this Wilson's thing? How do I know you're telling the truth?"

House groaned, biting his lip, then said, "Well, you can either use the computer over there to look up Wilson's disease, or..." House trailed off, then wrote two words on the whiteboard, then called to the phone, "Wilson, what are the copper-colored rings around the iris called?"

There was a slight pause, then Wilson said hesitantly, "Keyser-Fleischer rings- but I don't see how this proves it to Jason..."

House grinned and moved away from the whiteboard, revealing his two words- Keyser-Fleischer. "So, unless you think we came up with a secret word just in case some maniac decided to take me hostage, that's your proof right there."

Jason hesitated, then nodded, still without lowering his gun. Despite his optimistic words, House had no intention of telling Jason the actual results of the tests. House didn't care if he saw parasites in Jason's eyes, he was going to lie through his teeth and say it was Wilson's- because, if he was wrong about this and said so, Chase was dead.

"House!" He turned around and nodded at Foreman, who was standing at the end of the hallway, the machine already placed on the floor. Once Foreman was sure House had seen him, he backed away into the mass of the SWAT team waiting behind the corner, just out of Jason's line of vision.

House turned to Jason and said, "Let me go get that, the test'll take about ten seconds- and you PROMISE to let us go if the test comes back positive?" Jason hesitated, then nodded.

"Now, don't think of trying anything, or I will kill your Dr. Chase," he said, pointing his gun down at the two bodies on the floor. House just glared at him before heading outside his office.

When he reached the small machine, House was none too surprised to see the SWAT team waiting there, ready to rush into his office at the smallest sign of an opportunity. House gave them a curt nod before heading back to his office, stepping carefully over to the two unconscious bodies on the floor, setting the machine on the table. "Okay, Jason," he said, keeping an eye on the bastard's gun. Just set your head right there and I can check to see if the copper rings are there or now.

Jason took a step forward, then paused, looking over House suspiciously. House bit his lip and started tapping incessantly* on his leg. Every second Jason hesitated was one more second that Chase was bleeding out on the floor.

Finally, Jason said, "If you try and pull anything, I _will_ shoot you. Got that?" House nodded silently, so Jason smirked and got down in front of the machine, his gun pointed at House.

As House had promised, the test took less than ten seconds. All he had to do was see the copper rings around Jason's eyes to know he was right. House pulled back triumphantly and got down next to Chase to check his pulse, calling over his shoulder at Jason, "I was right, it's Wilson's! Now, _let us go_!"

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

Thirteen, Foreman, and Wilson strained to see over the heads of the SWAT team as Jason was arrested. After his diagnosis, the bastard had put down his gun and surrendered, but they didn't care about that. They just wanted to see if House, Chase, and Cameron were all right.

Several of the hospital's personnel rushed forward to get Chase and Cameron down to the ER and tried to look at House, but he refused and pushed past them to find Cuddy.

When he finally spotted her, he stepped forward and Cuddy rushed towards him. House blinked as crashed into him and wrapped her arms around him tightly, letting him hold her in his surprised arms. "Oh, god, House," she gasped, and he could tell by her voice that she was crying. He hesitated, then gently rested one hand on her shaking shoulder and wrapped his other arm around her, not sure how to hold her or if she would even appreciate physical comfort right now.

After a moment, a doctor from the ER pulled on House's arm and said softly, "Sir, we have to check you out before-" House turned his head and fixed him with a withering glare, but the doctor did not leave. "I'm sorry, sir, it's procedure," he trailed off softly.

House hesitated, then tightened his grip on the woman in his arms and said, "Cuddy, I have to go with him for a bit, okay? I'll be right back, I promise."

Cuddy shook her head and clutched House's hand tighter when he pulled away. "I'm going with you," she said firmly. House smiled slightly, but allowed her to hold onto him as he headed back to the ER.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

House glanced back at Cuddy, Thirteen, Foreman, and Cameron, who were all waiting for news on Chase. After her lost blood had been replaced, Cameron had regained consciousness and was absolutely fine, physically. But emotionally, she was a wreck, and the others weren't faring much better. Besides himself, Cameron, and Wilson, no one else knew about Cuddy's rape, and Cameron wasn't really focused on Cuddy right now, so House wasn't sure if he should leave right now. Granted, Wilson had said it was urgent...

After another moment of hesitation, he walked over to Cuddy and said gently, "Hey, I have to go give my statement to the police. I'll be right back, okay?"

Cuddy shook her head, grabbing his hand. "No, no, I... I'm going with you," she said quickly, her voice cracking slightly.

House could tell she was barely holding it together as it was, so it wasn't easy to lie to her. But, that being said, he still managed it. "No, I need someone I trust back here, so you can tell me if something happens with Chase. Please, Cuddy? I'll be back really soon, I promise."

Cuddy looked him up and down nervously, biting her lip in anxiety, then nodded. "Please, hurry," she whispered, keeping her eyes glued to the floor. House smiled as nicely as he could, then hurried back to his office.

He stopped outside the crime scene tape, where Wilson was waiting for him. "What the hell is so damn important you had to drag me down here? Why couldn't you just ask me at the ER?" House demanded, glaring furiously at Wilson.

"Because," the younger doctor started, "I didn't know if I'd be able to get you away from Cuddy... House... I think she's in denial."

House groaned and threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "Well thank you, pysch 101. Thank you for that completely unnecessary-"

"I'm serious, House!" Wilson snapped. "If you don't get her to at least try to accept what happened, she'll never heal from this! You have to at least-"

House shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You know what, Wilson, you're good with the emotional stuff, why don't you talk to her? Meanwhile, I have to get back to the ER before-"

"House, I'm not her boyfriend! She doesn't want me- and I won't be able to help her through this! Not like you could, if you would at least try! Get her to talk about it House, get her to-"

"Wilson, I'm not going to-"

"Um, excuse me?" House and Wilson both looked at the hesitant young teen, who looked like he was regretting interrupting the two doctors' fight. "Um... I'm looking for a Dr. Chase?" He held up a letter uncertainly, which was addressed to Chase.

With a heavy groan, House snapped the letter out of his hand and lied, "That's me. Now, you, get out of here." The kid didn't have to be told twice, he turned and practically ran down the hallway.

When the kid was gone and House started to open the letter, Wilson asked, "House, what the hell are you doing? Surely your curiosity can survive not knowing what's in a boring old letter?"

House just smirked and shook his head. "Nope." Then he pulled out a single sheet of paper from the envelope and started reading it out loud:

I watch you walk by

your beauty and grace

never to be mine

your intelligence unequaled

your beauty unmatched

Though I am alone

I want you so

Everything about you

makes me want you more

because I can't have you

my heart becomes sore

When you look at me

All you see is a fool

even though this is true

I want you so

Everyday I see you

I want to draw near to you

Alas I can't for your hatred of me

Chains me within myself

and I can only be freed by you

this will never happen, but

I want you so

I want you so

House looked back up at Wilson, then asked, "What the hell?"

Eep more of my stalker's poems! FREAKY! AND HA! SEAN, LOOK AT HOW I SPELLED INCESSANTLY ON MY FIRST TRY! HA! NOW YOU CAN'T USE THAT OTHER ONE AGAINST ME! HA!...Please review


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry this chapter took longer than normal- I'm practicing for an audition… AHHHH SO NERVOUS!

Just to clarify: Eric, Cuddy's rapist, is NOT Foreman! They are two different people. Sorry for the confusion, I didn't realize that when I wrote the first chapter.

Normalscaresme: IT IS NOT FUNNY! HE IS CREEPY! One day, he was waiting for me at the door when I got to school- but I got there half an hour early, and I don't go in through the front door, where everybody else does, I go through the back. Somehow, he knew this and was there. 0.0

Sean: Okay, I'm going to enjoy this: FOUR unintentional typos in your reviews, FOUR! WUHA! AND ELLIOT! ... GOT THROWN INTO A WINDOW!

**Chapter 7**

House and Wilson made it back to the ER to find an entirely different scene from one they had left behind- instead of pacing frantically around the ER, they were all relaxed. Thirteen and Foreman were both leaning back against the wall, discussing something in low voices, Cameron was curled up in a chair, fast asleep, and Cuddy was standing by a phone, about to dial a number. "Um, what happened?" Wilson asked hesitantly.

Cuddy blinked and looked over at them, then set the phone down and headed straight over to House, almost like it was a reflex. "The doctor came out with news on Chase. He's still in recovery, but I'm pulling a few strings so Cameron can see him- he's going to be fine, House."

He sighed in relief, smiling slightly, then called, "Cameron! Wake up."

The younger doctor blinked out of her light sleep, looking around in confusion. "Wha... what's going on? What'd I miss?"

House tossed the letter at her, then said, "You've got mail. Actually, Chase does, but since he's not here, I'm giving it to you." Cameron frowned, staring at him, puzzled, before sticking the letter in her pocket as she started to get to her feet.

Wilson shared a glance with House before he said, "Um, Cameron, I think you might want to take a look at that letter."

Cameron, still exhausted from the days events and with only one thing on her mind, just shook her head blearily and said, still in a daze, "It can wait. I'm going to see Chase. Cuddy, thanks for letting me do this."

Foreman started to follow after her, but Thirteen grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. "Hey, leave her alone right now!" she hissed at him. "Can't you see she wants to be alone with Chase? We can come by tomorrow!" Foreman just sighed as Thirteen practically dragged him away from the ER, leaving Cuddy, House, and Wilson behind.

There was an awkward silence, then Wilson said quietly, "Well, I think I'm going to head home. Bye House, Cuddy." They both nodded in response and waited for him to walk out, which left the couple alone for the first time this entire horrible night. Well, more properly speaking, two days- Cuddy had been raped shortly before midnight on Thursday, but the hostage situation and Chase's surgery had taken so long, it was now Saturday night.

They both looked at each other for a second, then House took her hand and said softly, "Come on. There's nothing more we can do here tonight. Let me drive you home."

Cuddy hesitated, then nodded, relieved, and let House lead her outside.

The ride to Cuddy's house was deathly quiet, with Cuddy staring blankly out the window and House not wanting to say anything, since he really had no idea what to say and didn't want to break the silence. When they pulled up in front of her house, Cuddy undid her seatbelt but made no move to get out of the car. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, then stopped and looked away.

House hesitated, uncertain, then leaned closer to her and said gently, "I can stay with you tonight, if you want..."

Cuddy looked up at him and nodded eagerly, then stopped, uncertain, and asked, "Are you sure? I mean, you don't have to... if you have somewhere else to be that's totally fine, I really don't need a babysitter, I'll be okay-"

House stopped her with a finger on her lips and said softly, "Cuddy, how long have you known me? I don't exactly plan long, wild nights at clubs. My social life usually consists of going home to my apartment, my piano, and a bottle of vodka. Trust me, its not a problem."

Cuddy gave him a small, grateful smile, then got out of his car and headed inside, House trailing behind, far enough back to give her her space yet close enough to help her, should she need it. For a while, she truly was fine. Even though her hands were shaking and it took her almost a minute to unlock her door, Cuddy was honestly all right. After she stepped inside, though, and actually looked back at the scene of the crime- the blood on the floor, the smashed furniture, the clothes splayed out across the room... and suddenly, Cuddy was finding it impossible to take another step forward. Impossible to breathe, for that matter. Impossible to look anywhere but the spot on the floor where Eric had raped her.

House watched Cuddy uncertainly as she stood in her doorway, frozen. "Cuddy," he prompted gently after a moment, but it looked like she didn't even hear him. "Cuddy." Still, nothing. Finally, he put a hand on her shoulder and said softly, "Come on. You can spend the night at my place." When Cuddy still didn't react, he took her hand and pulled her gently away from the door.

Once outside, Cuddy swallowed and looked back up at him worriedly. "I, uh... thanks. For, um-"

"It's okay," he interrupted as he led her back to the car. "You can't always be Superman. Sometimes you have to be Lois Lane."

Cuddy stared at him for a second before a tiny smile pulled at her lips. "That was bad, House. Really bad."

He shrugged and smiled back. "Well, you want something bad, you know who to come to." Cuddy just shook her head and got into his car- but she was smiling. A small smile, but a smile nonetheless.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

As Cameron was waiting for the nurses to get Chase moved from recovery to a regular room, she decided to take a look at the letter House had given her. Now was as good a time as any, and she doubted that she would remember about it later.

All it took was a cursory glance for Cameron to be convinced that the letter was from the same person who had sent the email and the original letter- and that Chase was wrong about it being spam or a prank. She read it carefully, growing more and more concerned by the second. The first letters had only come 24 hours previously, and there was already another one here?

Having already slept off the wooziness caused by the blood loss earlier, Cameron was certain she was not making a 'big deal' out of this, as Chase had insisted before. And while _she_ wouldn't leave his side now... that didn't say anything for somebody else checking it out.

She glanced around suspiciously, then pulled out her cell phone and started to dial a familiar number before she stopped, uncertain. House should be with Cuddy right now, though he'd be looking for any excuse to escape and hide at work, so he didn't have to attempt at the hard and painful task of being with Cuddy tonight... and she'd be dammed if she gave him a reason to leave her alone right now. So instead she called Foreman.

It had gone to voicemail before a very unhappy and tired voice grunted, "What?" at her through the phone, and she smiled reflexively, almost checking the caller ID to make sure she hadn't called House after all.

"Foreman, it's Cameron. I need you to get back down to the hospital..."

He groaned heavily, static rushing through the phone. "Cameron, _no_. Call someone else. I have been awake for _forty eight_ hours straight and _was_ getting some very-much-needed _sleep_ when you called. I am going to hang up now."

"Wait!" Cameron interrupted quickly, trying not to get too ignored at Foreman- he was right, they had all been up for two days. In fact, since she had spent some of that time unconscious, she was the most well-rested of all the team. "Look, Foreman, it's about Chase."

Instantly, the irritation disappeared from Foreman's voice as he asked worriedly, "What happened? Is he okay? I thought the doctors said-"

"No, no, nothing like that!" Cameron exclaimed, trying to assuage his fears. "That's not what... look, you know that letter House gave to me in the ER yesterday?"

There was a pause, then Foreman answered slowly, clearly confused, "Yeah... what about it?"

"Well, it was, um... it was... I think Chase has a stalker. The letter, that's what it was. It was a weird poem all about Chase and how much someone loved him- and _no_, I did _not _write it!"

Foreman hesitated, then said quickly, "Cameron, Chase got two of those yesterday, before that whole mess with Jason, he showed them to me! ... I'm on my way."

"Okay, I'll see you soon." Cameron hung up with a long sigh, putting her cell away, and a nurse- who had apparently been waiting for her to get off the phone- approached her. "You can see him now," she said with a small smile. Room 203. Just follow me and-"

"I know where it is, I _work _here!" she snapped angrily, momentarily frightening the young nurse- come to think of it, she was so young and Cameron didn't recognize her... it must have been her first day as a nurse. "I'm sorry," she apologized, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Its been... well, its been a long day," she offered as a lame excuse, then headed off to see Chase.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

Cuddy didn't know why she was so afraid tonight. She didn't know why she had asked House to leave the light on when he had gotten into bed next to her. For god's sakes, she was a grown woman, she wasn't scared of the dark! And yet she couldn't stand the idea of the lights being off, because then she wouldn't be able to see. Then she wouldn't be able to know if Eric was there or not.

She also didn't know why she had to keep turning over to make sure it was House in bed next to her, not Eric. She and House had slept in the same bed together for months. But tonight...

Cuddy knew that, if she wanted to get any sleep tonight, then House would have to be on the couch. But she couldn't ask him of that- the fact that he was even _here_ was a surprise, she couldn't ask him even more, because then he would leave... besides, it was his place, she couldn't kick him out of his own bed.

More then that, though, were the reasons that Cuddy didn't even want to admit to herself- that asking for his help tonight would be a sign of weakness... that it would mean she was pathetic, a worthless nothing... and she couldn't bear for House- hell, _anyone_- to know the truth.

House, though, perceptive as ever, knew something was wrong. She was shocked to feel him get off the bed, and when she rolled over in confusion and looked up at him, he said, "I think I'm going to sleep out on the couch tonight. That all right with you?"

She blinked, trying to hide her relief, then nodded. "I, uh... yeah, its fine."

House nodded and headed towards the door. "Call me if you need ANYTHING, Cuddy... anything at all. All right?"

Please review


	8. Chapter 8

Hey you guys, I really want 100 reviews on this story, but I was planning on ending it once you find out who Chase's stalker is- which should happen soon. So I'm going to toss a plot twist in pretty soon, maybe in this chapter, maybe not. That way, I can make it go on longer. And sorry for the longer-than-usual wait, I'm still practicing for that audition. AHHHH KILL ME NOW I'M SO SCARED I AM GOING TO FAIL COMPLETELY WAAAAAAH

Sean: OKAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? I AM GOING TO GET YOU! I AM GOING TO TELL MCCALL ALL ABOUT YOUR STUNTS WHEN GIRLS WHEN YOU WERE LIKE THREE AND THEN I'LL TELL AUNT PEGGY YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND AND THEN YOU WILL GET DESTROYED FOREVER AND THEN I'LL RUB MY HIGHER SAT READING SCORES IN YOUR FACE AND BY THE WAY DO I HAVE TO MENTION MY SUPERIOR TEAM IN DARK DAWN, THE FOURTH BOTTLE IN OCARINA OF TIME, AND THE DOOMED FIERCE DIETY'S MASK OF MAJORA'S MASK? YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT! AND YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I'LL DO? I'LL BRING YOU DOWN AND LOCK YOU IN A ROOM WITH... MS. JACKSON! WUHA!

And Janie: hon, I don't know if you're reading this- BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TELLING ME TO FIX MY POSTURE ON SAX! EVERYTHING IS BETTER NOW! I HIT ALL MY LOW NOTES AND MY TONE IS GOOD AND MY SOUND DOESN'T GET ALL SPITTY SO SOON AND NOW I CAN SUCK THE SPIT UP THROUGH THE REED AND... EVERYTHING IS PERFECT! WUHA!

Everybody else: 'suck the spit up through the reed' is not all sexually inneundoish! Don't you dare say that! I'm talking about my saxophone!

Also, in this fic, Thirteen doesn't have Huntingtons. Because its just really not fair that they give one of my top three characters an incurable disease, and it would just make things alot harder to write. And, someone, PLEASE tell me... at the end of tonight's episode, I saw a blond in bed with Chase. Was that... *shudders* CAMERON? And what the hell was up with Foreman? Sorry, I only caught the last ten minutes.

**Chapter 8**

Cameron knew Foreman should be getting to the hospital soon, which meant she would have to be wide awake, and not fast asleep, which was in danger of happening as she sank into the suspiciously soft, comfortable chair...

Cameron would have slipped into unconsciousness right then and there if the limp hand she was holding hadn't grasped her's. For a second, she was so tired that the significance of this fact escaped her; then she blinked her eyes open, shocked, to see Chase staring at her sleepily. "Hey... Allison..." he mumbled, giving her a tired smile.

"Robert!" she exclaimed in excitement, leaned forward and squeezing his hand. "Hey, sweetie! How do you feel?"

He shrugged weakly, looking her up and down. "Okay, I guess... what... how... how did we..."

Cameron smiled and said, "House," as a way of explanation. "He diagnosed Jason; we got you out in time."

Chase just rolled his eyes at the mention of House, then frowned and tugged on her hand. "Cameron... your arm... what happened?"

She hesitated in confusion, glancing down before biting her lip anxiously- Chase had seen the mark on her arm where House had drawn blood from. She knew she would have to tell him eventually... but right now? No, absolutely not. He was going to over react- however, not was the worst possible time for him to do that. "Oh, that? It's nothing, I just fell."

Chase gave her a look, then said, "I know you're lying...but I'm really too tired to get you to tell me the truth..."

With a broad smile, Cameron scooted her chair closer to his bed and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Don't worry, I'll tell you when you wake up. You go back to sleep now, okay?"

He groaned heavily, trying to kiss her back, but he was too exhausted to sit up. With a grunt, he gave up, then said, "Mmm... love you, Cameron..." Then he was out again.

With another smile, Cameron kissed his hand then leaned back in her chair, about to close her eyes again when there was a gentle knock on the door behind her. She blinked, then glanced over her shoulder to find Foreman standing in the doorway.

"You awake there, Cameron?" he asked, stepping slowly into the room.

"Foreman!" she exclaimed, quickly getting out of the chair and turning to face him. "Hey... look, I'm so sorry for dragging you out here in the middle of the night, especially since none of us have gotten a full eight hours sleep, but... well..."

"Yeah, I read the other letters, Cameron. I agree with you, it needs to be looked into," Foreman said, then accepted the letter from Cameron and read it quickly. After a minute, he glanced back up at her and said, "Wow, that's... yeah, that's creepy. But what exactly can we do about this? I mean, I doubt the police would do anything besides put his case on file then forget about him."

Cameron shrugged and sighed heavily, turning back to Chase. "I know. I know that, but... god, we can't just do nothing!" she stared at down at her sleeping boyfriend hopelessly.

"I know," Foreman said softly, unsure of what to say. Finally, he told her, "Look, Cameron, when Chase wakes up again, ask him about the letters. I can looking through our past cases to see if anyone has a grudge against him."

"Would you?" Cameron asked, looking over her shoulder at him hopefully, her voice anxious.

Foreman nodded with a chuckle, then said, "Yes, but you're doing my clinic duty for the next week."

Cameron sighed, then glared at him and said, "Fine, I'll do it myself, just bring me the files, will you?"

With another chuckle, Foreman said, "All right, all right, I'll do it. I'll be in House's office; once I get something, I'll call you, okay?" Cameron nodded without saying anything, then turned back to look at Chase. Once she heard the sound of the door closing, Cameron lay her head down by Chase's hand and just watched him sleep until she fell into a dream world herself.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

House kicked his feet up, watching as the drug dealer started to shoot at the cops at low volume. He had been watching TV ever since he had left Cuddy alone in his bedroom around two hours ago. If he was being honest with himself- and he was- House was simply exhausted and he wanted to go to sleep. But he couldn't yet. He had things to think about.

Most notably, what he was going to do about Cuddy's rape- would he let her keep her silence, or would he push her to tell him who had done it? Because House really wasn't interested in letting the bastard who had done this get away with it, but that left him with two options: find this bastard himself and make him pay, or get Cuddy to report the rape to the police. He had to admit, option one sounded alot more appealing... however, he had to be there for Cuddy. That urge was stronger than the one for revenge.

Even so, though, he still had to get her to at _least_ talk about it, report it to the cops. Then they could arrest whoever did this and stop him from hurting Cuddy ever again. Of course, House would prefer more violent methods...

House's ruminations were interrupted by a low shout from his bedroom. Concerned, he got quickly to his feet and limped to the back of his apartment, calling out, "Cuddy? Everything okay?" There was no reply before House threw open the door to his bedroom, then sighed- halfway in relief, halfway in sadness.

Cuddy was tossing and turning, kicking at any imaginary foe as she cried into a pillow and screamed, "_No_!" over and over again. House approached her slowly- he didn't really have any experience with nightmares, so he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.

"Cuddy?" he asked hesitantly, sitting down next to her and putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. The younger doctor pushed his hand away and rolled onto her side so she was facing the wall rather than him, still sobbing and thrashing at her imaginary rapist. "Cuddy!" he said, slightly louder this time. "Wake up!"

Whether it was his loud voice or the crack of command in his order or some other unknown factor, he didn't know, but Cuddy suddenly jolted from sleep. Though she had stopped struggling, Cuddy was still crying. She buried her face in a pillow to muffle the sound, and House had to assume that she didn't know he was there yet. He reached over to put a hand on her back as he started to say, "Cuddy, its-"

"_No_!" she shouted, throwing herself away from his touch in a panic. "No, don't! Don't hurt me, please!" Cuddy scrambled away from him, backing herself up into a corner, hiding her face in her hands.

Alarmed, House got off the bed and slowly approached her, holding his hands up to show her he was unarmed. "Cuddy, it's okay... it's just me- House. That's all. I promise." The words were slow and awkward, though still sincere. He continued again, this time with more confidence. "It's just House. Look up and you'll see its just me, I promise."

Cuddy hesitated, then slowly raised her gaze to meet House's. "House?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yeah," he encouraged, refraining from touching her right now since he new she was already frightened and he wasn't sure if that would just scare her more. "Just me."

Cuddy finally looked at him, but when she saw it was him she groaned heavily and turned away, hiding her face in her hands- whether it was in shame or fear, he couldn't tell.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

Thirteen woke up to find herself staring at the clock on her bedside table- two fifteen AM. She sighed, then rolled upright and leaned back against the wall in exhaustion.

This was happening more and more lately. She could excuse it tonight and claim that it was because of how tired she was today, but, in reality, she knew that that wasn't really true at all. Getting a full night's worth of sleep rarely happened... oh, who was she kidding, she hadn't slept eight hours a night in two months. She was lucky to get one hour now.

So now, during the day, she was running on adrenaline. And once she got home, too, though she drowned her sorrows in alcohol, more often than not. But running on adrenaline meant you had to crash sooner or later- so she would often crawl onto the floor beside her computer, because she was too tired to make it to her couch or bed, and just crash there for half an hour or more.

But today was different.

Now she wasn't just collapsed on the floor out of a need for a sleep. Now she was trying to avoid something. Something she should of done along time ago, yet was too afraid of doing. The first month, she attributed it to stress. But she couldn't do that now. Because, while these past two days had been absolute, pure hell... but the past week had been perfect. She wasn't just late.

But she had to be late. That had to be all it was. Because she couldn't deal with... _that_. Not now.

However, Thirteen had taken the test a half hour ago before falling asleep by accident. So she had to either check it, or throw it away. With a sigh, Thirteen got to her feet and trudged to the bathroom, picking up the little stick on the edge of the sink, hiding the colored part with her hand. She squeezed her eyes shut and said a silent prayer, to what god, she didn't know, then opened them and moved her hand away.

Oh, god, it was pink. She knew what pink meant.

_Pregnant. _

Please review


	9. Chapter 9

Did anyone watch the preview for next week's NCIS? I'M SO SCARED! THEY CAN'T KILL ANYBODY OFF! I LOVE THEM ALL TOO MUCH! Well, I take that back. Vance they can kill. BUT NO ONE ELSE!

Also, I bring in some SVU characters in this chapter, and they're going to stay for the duration of this story. I'm not making it a crossover because its going to focus on House and all of them. I'm sorry, but my love for SVU can not be conquered! Seriously, just ask anyone who knows me. My life-long dream is to get a life-size Casey Novak doll/the actress that plays her, hug her, then squeal in excitement and follow her around like a stalker forever.

Frostspirit: Yep, among other things. My baritone audition was today, my sax audition, sometime this week. And since I just learned TODAY how to fix my strap so I sit up straight- which actually makes me sound like my class's first chair instead of a dying horse- I am NOT ready for it.

Sean: That's right, how evil I am, yes, that's right! Also, Iron Heart is no magum opus. Iron Heart is how the human race will end. The gods of Hyrule will read it, decide we all deserve to die, since we obviously have no potential if people actually believed it had PLOT and POTENTIAL, so they will bring a gigantic moon down on us to kill us all. Fortuantely, there will be survivors. Casey, Olivia, and FIERE DEITY'S MASK. Casey and Olivia will have their love child, the Fierce Deity's Mask, reproduce by budding, so soon there will be thousands of little Fierce Deities running around out there. So, Casey and Olivia will rule the new Fierce Deities with the law of Benovak, and all is right with the world. :D Thank you, thank you. Also, I WILL KILL YOU FOR THAT LITTLE A.W. COMMENT! GOD HE'S ALREADY A DEPRESSING LOSER STALKER PERSON WHY WOULD I EVER WANT TO DATE HIM

**Warning: from here on out, this story will contain themes of self-harming and alcoholism- specifically, the sections about Thirteen. May trigger.**** These scenes will be set off by '13 13 13' instead of 'HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE' as a warning.**

**Chapter 9**

Foreman groaned, tossing yet _another_ worthless file at the wall. He had been through their past few cases, finding nothing after nothing after nothing. No reason for _anyone _to have a grudge against Chase.

He had been at it for the past hour and a half, and he was going to give it a rest for the night and try and get some sleep in the doctor's lounge. _One more file, _he thought, _and I'll be done._

However, one more file was all it took.

Foreman gasped as he frantically scanned the file- not the medical symptoms or final diagnosis, but the patient's personal information. His name and age, his picture. And that was all Foreman needed to know to remember that case.

_"I'm Detective Stabler, and this is my partner, Detective Benson," the tall man said, gesturing at the smaller woman by his side. "I understand that you recently a Logan Knight?"_

_The team of doctors glanced at each other uncomfortably. After Chase and Thirteen had searched their last patient's house, they had come back, shaken and rather terrified, bringing gifts to explain their new state of mind- a black, leather-bound scrapbook full of pictures._

_Pictures of their patient, Logan Knight, on top of battered woman after battered woman, either raping them or killing them. _

_So now they were faced with a __dilemma- give the pictures to the police and tell them how they were discovered, which would get them thrown in jail, or give the pictures to the police anonymously. However, both had the unfortunate consequence that the pictures would most likely not be able to be used against Logan Knight, as, in scenario one, they were stolen, or, in scenario two, the police couldn't say that they WEREN'T stolen. So they ended up giving them to the police anonymously, in the hope that they could do something. _

_The Detectives were still waiting for an answer. Finally, Foreman said, "Yes, we did. What of it?"_

_It ended up being not at all what the doctors expected. Not at all. The younger woman said, "Well, then, you should know that Mr. Knight was just released on bail- he's being charged with five separate accounts of rape."_

_Chase swallowed, glancing at Thirteen uncomfortably before House asked, "So? What has that got to do with us?"_

_Stabler walked forward, glaring at House and his arrogant smirk, before saying, "It has to do with you because your Dr. Chase was going to be summoned to testify in that case, as he was Knight's attending, and thus could both testify to the suspect's state of mind and his disease and why it had nothing to do with the rapes. Our ADA hasn't contacted you yet because trial hasn't begun- but Knight knew you were going to be summoned to testify, and he made a threat against everybody on the prosecution's witness list. He said, and I quote, 'I will get them! I don't give a damn how long it takes, I will get them.' Until the threat becomes more serious, we won't take you into protective custody, doctor. This was simply a __courtesy call. But, if he makes a move against you, you must call the precinct."_

Foreman stared at the file in utter shock. That had been three months ago. Once no threat had been made, the news had died down, and Cameron had stopped being so protective of Chase. Even after Logan Knight has skipped bail and disappeared completely, no threat against Chase came.

Well, that had just changed. A serial rapist had made a threat against him, and now, suddenly, he was receiving letters and emails stating how much an unknown someone? Yeah, a coincidence. Right.

**13 13 13**

Thirteen sat by the phone, her finger hovering over the green button. She had been like this for almost half an hour, debating on whether or not she should call the number or not. On one hand, if she did, then maybe, just _maybe_, some good could come from it. However, if she didn't, she could just forget about it and go back to everything to _normal_, for god's sakes.

Despite her best judgment, Thirteen found herself dialing the call and putting it on speaker. At least, this way, she could discreetly look around for adoption agencies by asking the lawyer for any numbers to call. If she made the calls at work, House would find out somehow, and all she did at home now was sit around and drink. Which, because of her pregnancy, she couldn't do anymore.

Thirteen smiled, relieved, when the call went to voicemail. She really didn't want to talk to a person right now. Clearing her throat, Thirteen sat up straighter and said into the phone, "Um, hi. This is Thirt- Rema Hadley. I don't know if you remember me, I'm a, um... I was one of your cases from about two months ago. And I have some new, um... well, I'm pregnant, and, um, he's the only guy that... he's the only guy who could be the father. I'm not sure if this changes anything or not, but... look, just, please call me back as soon as possible." After giving her number, Thirteen hung up, sighed, then threw the phone across the room.

"Son of a bitch!" she shouted to no one in particular. "I hate you! You ruined everything!" _I'm sure the neighbors are loving this, _she thought as she picked the now empty bottle of vodka and threw it at the wall, not caring when one of the glass shards cut her on the face.

Great. Everything was just great. Drinking was just how she dealt with things now. When she was drunk, she couldn't remember why she was supposed to hurt, so she didn't. But now that she couldn't use that to make everything go away... the idea of facing not being able to forget it for _seven whole months_... god, it terrified her.

Well... maybe she could find something else. That was it, right there, she _had_ to find something else! She _had_ to find something else just make everything disappear. It couldn't be too hard, right? Surely, there was something...

Thirteen smiled as she raised her hand up to the shallow cut on her face and then brought it away to stare at the blood. It had a surprisingly calming affect on her... a very nice, comforting affect. She sighed, watching the scarlet drop on her finger run down the palm of her hand. The farther it went, the less everything hurt, until nothing hurt at all.

She smiled slightly. Looks like she had found her new fix after all.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

"Hey, baby," Cameron said softly as she stepped back into Chase's room with a cup of coffee to find him awake. She immediately sat down on the bed next to him and kissed his cheek.

"Hey," he said as he wrapped his arm around her neck and kissed her back. "That coffee for me?"

Cameron chuckled, shaking her head. "Nope. I'm not giving you any coffee until you get out of the hospital- because coffee makes you coffee, and then you won't sleep. So there."

With a sigh, Chase kissed her again before he allowed her to disentangle herself from his embrace. Cameron smiled at him, took a sip of her coffee, then said awkwardly, "So, uh, Chase... you know these weird emails and stuff you got, right before that whole mess with Jason?"

Chase nodded in confusion, watching her closely. "Yeah..."

Cameron bit her lip anxiously, unsure of how to say it, then decided to just come out with it. "Well, you got another one. And I was worried, so I had Foreman look through our past cases for anyone who might have a grudge against you... Chase, he thinks it Logan Knight and I have to say that I agree with him. Ever since-"

"Oh, Cameron, god, not again!" Chase exclaimed, staring at her in shock and anger. "No, you are not trying to bring up Logan Knight _again_! Cameron, the first time around, you were so overprotective it was crazy! Come on, Cameron, not again- come on, those letters have nothing to do with him! That doesn't even make any sense at all!"

Annoyed, now, Cameron crossed her arms and snapped, "Oh, really? Come on, Chase, it makes perfect sense! If you-"

"No it doesn't! That was three months ago! If he was going to do something he would have done it by now!" Chase exclaimed, trying to stop his girlfriend from launching into her annoying 'bodyguard' mode again.

With an exasperated sigh, Cameron made quite an effort to calm down. As long as Chase was in the hospital, it didn't matter, anyway- there was security here, it was unlikely his stalker would be ale to get to him. But once he got released, she was determined to do something about it.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

House looked up when Cuddy walked into the kitchen at 6 in the morning. She always had been a morning person. "Hey," he said softly as he got up off the couch and headed after her. Cuddy just glanced at him and nodded before staring back down at her bare feet. "So, um, I was thinking last night," he started off slowly, trying to figure out the best way to go about this, 'and, uh... I think it would be a good idea if you told me, at least, what happened."

Cuddy looked up to pierce him with her cold glare. "Oh, do you, now? And why exactly do you think that? I fail to see how talking about anything is going to change what happened."

"Well, it won't, but..." he sighed, not sure if he should mention Wilson's involvement or not. Finally, he settled for a half-truth. "Well, people at the hospital could tell something was wrong, and I know you don't want to talk about it... look, at least tell me who it was, Cuddy. So that if he shows up at work or my apartment I'll know not to tell him where you are. Please, Cuddy." He didn't include his other reasons- his hopeless desire for a violent revenge, his hope that justice, at least, could be served. Cuddy would doubtless refuse to tell him anything if he told her _that_.

Cuddy sighed uncertainly, then decided to just go ahead and tell him. Yes, she didn't want House to know... but he wouldn't stop talking about it until she had told him. And not just House- Wilson and Cameron knew too.

Groaning heavily, she ran a hand through her messy hair and started to tell him about Eric.

Please review


	10. Chapter 10

Frostspirit: Ew. My cat is scared of my sax because, when I first got it, I didn't exactly know how to play it. Basically, I didn't wet the reed, but the ligature on backwards, put the mouthpiece on upside down, and didn't put my lip over my teeth. So, I squeaked very loudly for the entire night. ):

I know I introduced the rapist guy as Logan Mitchel last chapter. Well, now I have to change his name due to something suggested to me by Mizuno-kun- his name will now be ERIC Mitchel. Eric, not Logan. Chase's stalker was going to be rather crack fic ish, but now that will be posted as an alternate scene. Please read it when it goes up, as that is really where this entire story came from in the first place. And Sara- this isn't the chapter you were originally going to be introduced in. That chapter will be when Chase goes home with Cameron- the next chapter.

**Warning: from here on out, this story will contain themes of self-harming and alcoholism- specifically, the sections about Thirteen. May trigger. These scenes will be set off as '13 13 13' instead of 'HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE' as a warning. **

**Chapter 10**

Cuddy took a deep breath, then, still staring at the floor rather than House, said softly, "Eric was my boyfriend 6 months ago. He, um... he had a tendency to be violent whenever things didn't go his way- but it wasn't abuse or anything, he had it under control. We, ah... well, I... we had sex, and the pregnancy test was positive. I told Eric, and he was the happiest I had ever seen him." She stopped and smiled slightly and the dreamy memories- at how sweet he had been, the expensive presents, the romantic dinners...

Drawing herself out of her reminiscing with a shudder, Cuddy continued. "Well, a week later, I found out I wasn't pregnant- that the test had been a false positive. So, yeah, I wasn't exactly thrilled about that... but once I told Eric... well, he broke up with me the next day. But... but I haven't heard anything from him until when he just showed up at my house, three days ago..."

Swallowing nervously, Cuddy drew in a deep, shuddering breath, then continued shakily, "He, uh... He ju- just showed up... he was f- furious about s- something... he s- said that I h- had an abortion, tha- that I had lied about the false p-positive. That it w- was m- my fault his m-mother killed herself," she stammered, finding it somehow impossible to articulate her words. Trying to swallow back her nerves and failing miserably, Cuddy forced herself to keep talking. "I swear to god, House, I didn't lie about that test... it really _was _a false positive... but Eric didn't believe me. He s- said... He said he w- would sh- show me... sh- show me control. Th- that I t- thought I had control over my o- own bo- body, but h- he would sh- show me..."

At this point, Cuddy looked up fiercely at him, fire in her eyes, as she exclaimed, "I swear I fought him, I swear I did! I didn't want him, House, but he was just too damn strong! But... But oh _god_ it hurt so much- House, I couldn't even breathe, that's why I didn't scream, I would of if I'd been able to, I just... oh, god, House," she sobbed, putting her head down on her folded arms and wishing she could just disappears.

House hesitated, both unsure of how to comfort her and battling his desire to go find this Eric and kill him, then settled for just putting one hand on her arm and stroking her hair comfortingly with the other. "Shh," he murmured softly, trying to soothe her. "It's going to be okay, Cu... Lisa. It's going to be okay."

**13 13 13**

"What do you mean he's not here?" Thirteen asked Cameron over the phone in confusion.

The other doctor replied shortly, "Look, all I can say is that he and Cuddy are taking today off, if I have anything to say about it. Foreman's phone is off because he's down at the police sta... because he's taking care of something for me. Chase isn't answering his phone for obvious reasons, and my best guess is Wilson is still asleep. So what do you want, since I'm the closet you're going to get to House's team for a while."

Thirteen hesitated, then sighed and said, "Look, I... I _really_ need to take today off. Some personal business. I was just calling in to tell House I wasn't going to be here today."

Cameron sighed. "Fine. Its not like you could really do anything here anyway, seeing as the rest of House's team isn't at work yet. Have a good day off, but come back as soon as possible, we could really use the help around here."

With a relieved smile, Thirteen nodded eagerly even though Cameron couldn't see her and exclaimed, "Thank you- god, thank you so much! And yes, I'll be back tomorrow."

"All right, then," Cameron said in a bored voice, clearly too wrapped up in something else to realize how strange Thirteen's request was. "Goodbye, Doctor."

"Goodbye." Once Cameron had hung up, Thirteen walked over to the wall to start charging her cell phone, then glanced down at her arm with a vindictive satisfaction. Her first attempt at cutting had not gone very well, though this didn't deter her from anything- if anything, it made her more eager to experiment. Especially because just the sight of the large blood stains on her tan skin made her feel better almost immediately.

The reason she wasn't going in today was because the first cut she had made was so bad, Thirteen had had to work for nearly ten minutes to stop the bleeding. And she was pretty sure that even a doctor with half the observation skills of House would notice a horrible gash on her arm, which looked self-inflicted. She couldn't just wear long sleeves- because, unfortunately, she had tried that. Every time the fabric brushed against the cut, it bled a little more. So, for today, at least... she was staying home.

But just because one arm was injured didn't mean she couldn't cut the other one.

With another cold-hearted smile, she headed into her apartment's tiny kitchen, the sight of her bloody steak knife in the sink causing another smile. She reached for it and held it gently against her left arm, the pain in her right arm as she moved making her even happier. With another soft sigh, Thirteen dragged the weapon across her skin, careful not to cut too deep. The red blood that blossomed out made her laugh- which probably sounded psychotic, hysterical, or both- as all her troubles seemed to just literally float away.

"How nice," she said idly. "I like it."

Her steady gaze was distracted by her still flat stomach, which had yet to show any signs at all of her pregnancy. _How strange, _she thought. She had only known about it for a whopping total of _fourteen hours_, and yet she already loved it.

_Look at that, _she thought with a chuckle. _Who would of thought I would turn into some old softie the moment I'm mentioned in the same sentence with the word 'baby'?_ It was true, though. She loved that little person already growing inside of her stomach already- which, she couldn't help but realize, was really rather ironic... that she could love anything born from such a hateful act.

But no matter how much she loved her baby, that didn't mean she didn't, at least, on some level, hate herself. She noted distastefully that the cut on her left arm had stopped bleeding, so she raised the knife and took it to her tan flesh once more.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

"So," Chase said in between kisses, "you know when I can go home yet? I really want to celebrate our one year anniversary..."

Cameron chuckled as she molded her form to Chase's body, nuzzling her head into his neck. "First of all, sweetie, our anniversary was _last_ night- although I'll give you leeway since you were just shot. So I'm impressed that you remembered."

"Oh, really?" Chase asked with a small smile. "So, does that get me anywhere?"

With a groan, Cameron lightly smacked his shoulder and exclaimed, "No it does not! God, Chase, why are all men so crazy for sex? And I already told you, _I am not having sex with you until you are fully recovered!_ So there," she finished with a self-satisfied smirk.

"First of all, I'm only crazy for sex because I'm with someone as gorgeous as you. Second of all- well, we'll see about that! Because I know that you _can't_ resist me and my adorable accent!"

Cameron sighed unhappily, unable to deny it was true. "Okay, well, maybe you're right about that... but if you try and seduce me, Chase, I swear, I'll... well, I don't know what I'll do, but I'll get you for it somehow!"

Chase scoffed as he kissed her shoulder again. "Right."

With an angry groan, Cameron sat upright and got off the bed. "You... I am going to get you for this! You just wait and see!"

Chase smirked, propping himself up on his elbows. "Well, this should be interesting!" he said, watching smugly as she paced around the room incessantly.*

Finally, she stopped and turned to him, grinning, clearly proud of herself. "See, here's something I _know_ you don't want to talk about- Eric Mithcel." Chase immediately gave an exaggerated groan as he rolled his eyes unhappily.

"Cameron!" he exclaimed. "Come _on_! Why do you always have to bring him up?"

Cameron sighed as she put her hands on her hips and turned to face Chase again. "Oh, I don't know, because he's a serial rapist and he's stalking you? That sounds pretty damn serious to me!"

"Okay, first of all, Cameron, we don't _know_ he's stalking me- hell, we don't even know that I have a stalker at all! God, he skipped out on his bail three months ago, I think he would have acted by now if he was planning on doing anything at all!"

"Chase, will you stop pretending like this is nothing? Because it's not! It _is _a big deal, for god's sakes! God, why can't you just admit it?" Cameron was almost shouting by the end of her demand, and at Chase's furious glare, she sighed, then walked over and lay down next to him again. "I'm sorry, baby," she said, kissing his shoulder. "I just... I..."

"Its okay," he said quickly, wrapping an arm around her thin shoulders. "I'm sorry too. Its just so... I mean, he's a serial rapist, but he rapes _women_, not men! And who ever heard of a _guy_ getting a stalker like that?"

"Yeah, I know," Cameron said as she snuggled closer to him. "Look, we'll get through this, okay? Foreman's at the police station reporting to them right now. No matter what happens, I'll still love you."

"I love you too,'" he murmured before kissing her gently again.

Please review


	11. Chapter 11

Sean: Maybe if you would READ the author's notes then you would KNOW! AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE FIERCE DEITY'S MASK IS AND DON'T YOU DARE SAY I SPELLED IT WRONG AND HOW YOU WOULD EVEN KNOW YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE IT ANYMORE BUT I DO I GOT IT ALL BY MYSELF WITHOUT HACKING THE GAME LIKE YOU AND YOUR LITTLE FREAKY THREE EYEBALL EO CHILDREN DID SO THERE! 

*self-satisfied smirk*

Also, did you know betokened is a word? I had no idea. I still don't know what it means…

Sara: Um.. was that really your boyfriend? If so... HELL YES HE NEEDS TO KICK A.W.'S ASS, BUT TELL HIM TO BE CAREFUL, BECAUSE HE GETS IN KNIFE FIGHTS. *laughs hysterically*

Sorry it took me so long to update. I'm STILL practicing for that audition, which is STILL continuously being postponed, Sean made me fight him in a video game, even though he lost miserably, and SOMEONE wouldn't do their part in the crack-fic ending (SARA!) Oh, yeah, and before I forget- I knew SVU is based in Manhattan, while House is based in New Jersey. Well, lets just say SVU is the NEW JERSEY Special Victims Unit instead of the MANHATTEN Special Victims Unit. It makes more sense that way.

**Chapter 11**

**Warning: from here on out, this story will contain themes of self-harming and alcoholism- specifically, the sections about Thirteen. May trigger. These scenes will be set off as '13 13 13' instead of 'HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE' as a warning. **

Cameron helped Chase into his apartment, paying more attention to her destination- the bedroom- rather than the front room. If she had, she would have known why Chase froze and stared in shock.

As it was, when Chase stopped moving, she said, "Look, Chase, I know you're trying to put off talking about this Eric thing, and I-"

"Cameron," he interrupted urgently, squeezing her hand tightly. "Look." Confused, the young woman raised her eyes to look at their living room...

"Oh my god," she breathed, staring around in horror.

The entire room had been ransacked, things thrown on the floor and some of the furniture broken in half. Among the smashed items was scattered letter after letter after letter. A closer inspection revealed that these were the one and the same with the threatening, stalker type letters Chase had already received.

"Oh... oh my god," Cameron whispered, walking forward among the wreckage as if in shock. "What... what _happened_ in here?"

Chase bent to examine one of the letters, this one abandoned the LED shards of his TV. He read the last stanza, feeling more horrified by the second: 

The Day of Judgment is approaching

Someday soon, killers of children,

Killed themselves

Burned in the fiery sulfur pits of hell

Someday soon, killers of children,

Killed themselves

Someday soon

Soon

Chase slowly set the letter back down and took another step forward, almost tripping over a manila envelope. _What the... _he thought in confusion. _That wasn't here before... more letters? _He hesitantly reached down and picked it up- hmm... it seemed heavier than just a couple of letters...

Chase ripped open the envelope...

"_Cameron_!" he screamed, dropping the ticking package to the ground and grabbing her by the arm. "Come on, _hurry_!" He pulled her from the doctor from his apartment, but when she resisted, he had no choice but to pick her up and sling her over his shoulder as he dashed down the stairs, trying to get as far away from his apartment as possible. He had only made it to the end of the hallway when the explosive detonated in his apartment. It must have been a small bomb, so as not to bring down the entire building, but the force was enough to throw Chase to the floor as Cameron catapulted over his head.

Chase groaned, already struggling to reach her as he pulled himself forward, unable to catch his breath. The sounds of the blast had brought people out of their apartments to investigate, and when they saw the smoke and flames emerging from the ruined wreckage of his apartment.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

"What the hell happened?" Foreman demanded while he stitched up Cameron's hand, Chase himself sitting on the bed right behind Cameron.

"I don't know! All I remember is Chase grabbing me and carrying me out of the apartment before something blew up and then we were both on the ground! Chase, you wanna explain what's going on here?" she snapped, turning to glare furiously at her boyfriend.

"Eric..." he said, almost in a daze, then raised his gaze to Cameron as he looked at her in complete shock. "It must have been Eric... Cameron, the poems, I read one of the poems! oh my god..."

Cameron stared at him, horrified, then gasped, "Foreman, the moment you finish this, call Thirteen and tell her to come in tomorrow. House probably still won't be in and Chase, you and I are going down to that precinct and telling the police about this _now_. Then they can find this joker, take him back to trial, and get him out of our lives for _good_." Chase opened his mouth, and Cameron, assuming it was to protest, said fiercely, "_No buts_, Chase! He nearly killed both of us! I'm not going to let you risk both your life and my own with this, Robert!"

Chase smiled slightly, then squeezed her hand as he told her, "What I was _going_ to say was yes, I agree with you about this whole Eric mess, and I'll go with you to the precinct as soon as we're done here, okay?"

Cameron nodded, then leaned her head against his shoulder tiredly. "Good."

Chase wrapped an arm around her, then told Foreman, "Hey, you're almost done with her hand. Let me finish that, you go ahead and call Thirteen."

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

Chase walked into the precinct uncertainly, holding onto Cameron's good hand as he looked around hesitantly. One of the cops at the desk- a tall, thin, wiry man- glanced up at them over his glasses and said, "Hello, I'm Detective Munch. Are you here to report a rape?"

"Oh, no- no, no," Cameron said quickly, shaking her head. "No, this is about a case you had a couple months ago... um, Eric Mitchel? The serial rapist?"

Immediately one of the other detectives- this one, a younger, more buff man than the first- got quickly to his feet and hurried over to them. "Eric Mitchel? What do you know about him?"

"Wait a minute..." Chase said hesitantly, then asked, "Hold up, aren't you Detective Stabler? And the woman, you're Detective Benson?"

A younger, tan woman got to her feet as well and walked over to them curiously. "Yeah, we are. How do you know that, though?"

Cameron sighed dispassionately, then said unhappily, "You two were the detectives who came by our work and said that, because we were going to testify against him, we were in danger."

Stabler blinked, then nodded. "Oh, yeah. We are. So, what do you know about Eric Mitchel?"

Chase stopped Cameron from exploding into a fiery rage with a raised hand and said quickly, "Well, I'm the doctor that was going to testify against him, and over the past several days, I've been getting alot of, um... stalker-type letters. Then, tonight, when I got home, it looked like my place had been broken into, and there were more letters. I'm sorry, I don't have any of those because whoever put the letters there also left a bomb that destroyed all the evidence and nearly killed us both."

Benson and Stabler exchanged worried glances, then Stabler said, "I'll call the captain. Liv, can you get their statements for me?"

Benson nodded. "Yeah, yeah, of course." As the man walked away, she beckoned Chase and Cameron over to her desk. "Okay, before we get started, I'm warning you, we're gong to have to put you in protective custody until the trial's over."

"Wait, protective custody- what does that mean, exactly?" Cameron asked worriedly, tightening her grip on Chase's hand in anxiety.

"It means," the woman said, "that we'll move you to a safe house and keep you under guard, 24/7. I'm sorry, I know it doesn't sound exactly appealing, but, considering the circumstances..."

**13 13 13**

"Oh... oh, I... I understand. Of course," Thirteen said sadly as Foreman told her- in rather vague terms- what had happened. "Of course, I'll be there tomorrow. Goodbye." Thirteen hung up, hesitated, then smiled slightly. Maybe going back to work wouldn't be such a bad idea. After all, before, when she was working, she was distracted. Therefore, she wasn't thinking about _it_, which meant it didn't hurt _nearly_ as much. With a sigh, she trudged back to her kitchen, and was a about to set about the impossible task of finding a knife she _hadn't_ already used on herself when her phone started ringing _again_.

Groaning and loudly and muttering a stream of words under her breath that were most certainly _not _taught in kindergarten, Thirteen stomped back over to her phone and picked it up, growling, "What?" into the phone.

"Oh, I'm sorry... am I interrupting something?" A cool female voice asked over the phone.

With a sigh, Thirteen shook her head, went back to continue her search for the knife, and said, "No, no, I'm sorry, I just... its been a long day. Um, who is this?"

"I'm Casey's secretary, returning your call about the new evidence?"

Thirteen blinked, then exclaimed, "Oh, oh, yes, I know what you're talking about! Oh... yeah... that's great," she said, now unenthusiastic. "So, um, what did she say?"

"She says you need to come by her office tomorrow at 5 pm to discuss the next course of action with her. Is that okay?"

With a sigh, Thirteen was about to simply decline the invitation and spare herself the pain, but then her eyes fell on clean knife. She closed her eyes, then took it took her wrist, slicing the cold blade into her delicate skin. Almost immediately, she had a change of heart. _Well... I suppose another meeting with the lawyer couldn't hurt... could it? _

Smiling slightly, Thirteen told the secretary that she could make it, then let the phone fall to the floor as she continued to cut at her arm, every drop of blood that spilled out of her skin taking with it the pain of the past two months until there was none left.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

"Look, I promise, if you change your mind at any time through this, I'll take you out and drive you home myself, okay? But, please, at least _try _to get through reporting it, okay?" House begged, squeezing Cuddy's hand gently.

Despite his girlfriend's protests, House had managed to convince her to come down to the local precinct and report the rape. The only reason she was here at all right now was because he had promised to let her leave the moment she wanted to.

With a sigh, Cuddy allowed him to lead her inside the precinct as she lowered her head and hugged herself tightly, keeping her eyes downcast and avoiding anybody else's gaze. She heard a door open and let House gently lead her inside the room, but then the words she heard next snapped her out of her fearful haze completely. An unfamiliar male voice ordered, "Look, I want ALL of you working the Eric Mitchel case until I say otherwise, all right?"

Cuddy stared at them, then gasped, "Eric Mitchel?"

The only woman in the room, someone who looked about Cuddy's age, nodded and asked, "And who are you?"

"I..." Cuddy stammered, then felt House squeeze her hand encouragingly, and used his strength to continue. "I was raped by Eric Mitchel."

Please review


	12. Chapter 12

Sean: You know what? I don't even remember what your reviews said, but you're downstairs if I want to yell at you, so I won't give you an author's note. You don't get to feel special anymore.

Sara: See? I told you you would make it! But now we have to play graduation in a week and Brandon's a senior so you have to play one of the songs alone and both our parts are hard WAAAAAAAH MUTUAL FREAKING OUT!

Once again, sorry for the long wait. I start losing my voice, then find out that I'm playing the senior's graduation... which is less than a week... and that I'm first chair... and that's it's four pieces I've never played before... and they're hard as shit. Anyway, I'm going to be busy practicing for graduation, so I don't know if I'll be able to update until then. Also, question: is Thirteen's first name Rema or Remy? I actually have no idea. I assumed it was Rema for this chapter, but I may be wrong.

**Warning: from here on out, this story will contain themes of self-harming and alcoholism- specifically, the sections about Thirteen. May trigger. These scenes will be set off as '13 13 13' instead of 'HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE' as a warning. **

**Chapter 12**

**13 13 13**

"Foreman!" Thirteen practically shouted for the hundredth time, trying to get the older doctor's attention. "Hello, earth to Foreman!" she called, snapping her fingers in front of his face.

He jumped, then turned to her and apologized. "Sorry, I was thinking about something else. What do you need?"

She gave a small frown, then just shrugged and said, "So, since no one but the two of us is here and we don't have a case, it's not a problem if I leave early today, right?"

He shook his head automatically, then hesitated and turned back to her in confusion. "Wait, why are you leaving early? I thought you said yesterday you could at work all day today..."

Thirteen gave him a hesitant smile as she said, "I know, but something came up- I, uh... a relative died down in Alabama and I have a flight to catch."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Foreman apologized quickly. "When will you be back?"

She smiled and was about to get herself a week off, then hesitated. She had been right, yesterday; working really did take her mind off things. She hadn't had the urge to cut herself all day. That had to be a good thing, right? Well, she didn't see how, but surely it was good...

So she looked back at Foreman and said lightly, like it was no big deal, "Oh, tomorrow. All I have to do identify the body, that's all."

Foreman continued to search through the files for whatever he was looking for, but he still glanced up and gave her a slightly concerned, but mostly interested look. "Well, isn't somebody being apathetic?"

Thirteen just shrugged and walked over to get herself some coffee, trying to play it off as nothing. She _really_ didn't want Foreman digging any deeper into the real reason for her absence. "No, I just barely knew the guy. He's my second cousin once removed or my first cousin twice removed, don't remember."

Unfortunately, her response piqued his interest even more and Foreman set aside the paperwork, now watching her in confusion. "Wait a moment... if you barely knew him, then why are they calling you to identify the body?"

Thirteen froze, but only for a second. "Oh! Um... well, we went to high school together. We weren't really friends, but I _did_ see him every day."

"So the best person they could find was someone who knew him ten years ago? What about his other family, like a-"

"Are you interrogating me or something here, Foreman? Why the hell are you suddenly so interested in my personal life?"

He frowned, now giving her his full- and definitely unwanted attention. "When you started lying about it, which means there's something to lie about, which means I-"

"You know what, you've been spending too much time around House," she said as she reached for the cream and sugar. Unfortunately for her, she used her left arm- the one with all the cuts on it. She cried out softly, then immediately pulled it back and cradled it against her chest. When she looked up to find Foreman staring at her in shock, she swore under her breath and tried to move past him, but he caught her by the arm and pulled up her sleeve.

When he saw all the red cuts, some fresh, others partly healed, he let go of her like he'd been burned and looked up at her in shock. "Thirteen?" he asked, eyes wide.

Glaring at him, Thirteen stepped around him and stormed from the office, slamming the door behind her.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

Chase frowned as he led Cameron down the hallway, searching for the correct office. While his only experience with this kind of stuff was TV shows, he didn't think you went to talk to the police, and less than 24 hours later, your case was already ready to prosecute. Nevertheless, he and several others of Eric's victims were meeting with SVU's ADA today - apparently, she had already filed the paperwork and the trial was set for next week.

Cameron, however, didn't agree with him when he said it was weird. "Chase, I'm sure it's fine," she assured him once more. "This is probably just a big name case and the cops are giving more attention than normal. Either that or life is not comparable to TV." She gave him a small smile, then glanced up at one of doors and nodded. "This is her office." She knocked on the door and, almost immediately, a voice called for her to come in.

Chase opened the door and followed Cameron inside, focused more on the lawyer behind the desk then the two in front of it. Cameron, however, glanced down at them, then froze, staring at the pair in shock. "House? Cuddy?" she gasped in the middle of the lawyer's introduction. "What... what the hell are you doing here?"

House and Cuddy glanced at each other in surprise before the former stood up and said, "I should be asking you that."

Cameron hesitated, then said quickly, "That letter about Chase you gave me is from a serial rapist; this is the lawyer prosecuting our case."

"_Your_ case?" Cuddy asked in confusion. "What are you talking about? I'M here because... uh..." she trailed off uncomfortably when the lawyer interjected.

"You people know each other?" she asked, glancing between the two couples.

After a moment, Chase answered, "Yeah, we work together- now, House, Cuddy, why are you guys here?"

Cuddy opened her mouth, then shut it again and swallowed nervously, clearly unsure of how to continue.

Finally, the redhead lawyer said, "Dr. Chase, the same man stalking you raped Dr. Cuddy several days ago. We're all here so soon because one of his previous victims just found out she was pregnant, which gives us the DNA evidence to _finally_ take this case to trial. Once she gets here, then we can begin- and I'm Casey Novak, by the way."

Chase stared at Casey for a second, then looked back at Cuddy, clearly shocked. "Wha- but- how...?" He turned to look at Cameron and was more than surprised to see that she wasn't

shocked by the news- far from it. She bit her lip guiltily and looked away at his stare, and Chase exclaimed, "Wait a second, Cameron, you _knew_ about Cuddy? When? How? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry, Chase," she said quickly, gripping his hand in her own, "I was the doctor who preformed the rape kit- but she asked me not to tell. But I had _no_ idea that the guy stalking you and her rapist were the same person..."

Casey hesitated, then said quickly, "Okay, let's start this over. We all know each other now, and I'm the lawyer who's prosecuting your case. I'm going to try and make quick work of it, since I know Doctors Chase and Cameron won't to get back to their lives, which they can't do because they're in protective custody, but I can't promise anything. I've already talked with all the other victims about this, and the pregnant one I mentioned earlier should be here soon... I told her the same time I told you-"

In the middle of Casey's statement, her office door opened once again and a disheveled brunette rushed through it, clearly in a hurry, her eyes downcast. "I'm so sorry I'm late, traffic was bad and-" The woman froze as she raised her eyes, staring around at everybody in shock.

Casey watched them all in confusion, then finally asked, "Um, do you _all_ know each other except for me?"

Cameron, the first to recover, finally managed to gasp, "Thirteen?"

Thirteen's eyes widened, and she stumbled backwards, immediately scrambling for an excuse to get out of the situation as fast possible. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, uh... um... I was just meeting with Casey here because, um... she... I..."

Casey walked around her desk to stand beside Thirteen, watching her in concern. "Rema?" she asked hesitantly. "Do you know these people?"

"Y- yeah," she stammered, biting her lip as she took another step backwards. "Yeah, I work with them- um, look, Casey, the pregnancy thing, I was wrong, it was a, um... a false positive, that's it, there's no evidence, so we can all just go home, right?" She turned and tried to dash away from the office, stopping when Casey grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Rema, it's all right," she said gently, moving to stand between her and the door. "There's no reason to be ashamed. Just because you know some of the other victims- that's no reason to back out."

Thirteen opened her mouth to protest, then froze and whirled back around to stare at the other doctors. "Wait... other victims? You don't mean-"

"Dr. Cuddy was raped, Dr. Chase was being stalked," Casey said gently, still watching Thirteen warily.

Thirteen stared at them in horror, them slumped against the wall, closing her eyes and hiding her face with her hair. "I... I'm sorry, I..."

"Come on," Casey murmured, leading her over to another chair in front of her desk, the other doctors still staring at Thirteen in shock. "It's okay. Give me a minute to explain what's going to happen at the trial, and then we can discuss your options."

Please review. Haha, Sean.


	13. Chapter 13

Sean: I have nothing to say to you. Come upstairs and PREPARE YOURSELF for PK THUNDER if you think you can defeat me. Otherwise, just sulk down there with your Ganondorf and McCall spawn and listen to Marth's epic fighter stance get repeated over and over as you fail to beat MY record of EIGHT SECONDS. (I wish). But you still can't beat my record. So there. BENOVAK

...also, from now on, all uses of **incessantly **will be bolded to further assure your doom. Also, any uses of the name '**Fin'** (three minutes, no more, no less) will be bolded for the same reasons.

Well, graduation is over- and it was the most horrifying experience ever- so now I can focus on this fic here. So no more long waits for updates!

Sean: Don't you dare mention those accursed triplets again, because you know what, you were wrong about that Hyrule Field rhythym anyway. And musescore can't handle dotted eight notes and sixteenths jammed together anyway, that's what the problem is. So THERE. WUHA And yes, I just realized I gave you two author's notes by mistake. Unfortunately, I don't care enough to join them together. So you get to feel special again with your girlfriend AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

**(GAH why is my cut and paste not working?) Warning: from here on out, this story will contain themes of alcoholism and self-harming- specifically, the sections about Thirteen. May trigger. These sections will be set off as '13 13 13' instead of 'HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE' as a warning.**

**Chapter 13**

"So, tell me, Cuddy... why is it, exactly, that you don't want to testify?" House asked as his girlfriend continued to pace **incessantly **around his living room. She hadn't been able to go back to her own, yet- not that he blamed her. She had been staying with him ever since that night two weeks ago, when he came back to find Cuddy, just seconds after Eric had escaped. Cuddy had neither brought up the idea of going back to her apartment or finding some other place to stay, and neither had House.

"House, you know why," Cuddy said coldly as she stopped walking around the room and leaned back against the wall, tapping her foot anxiously.

With a sigh, House just shook his head and tried to think about how to proceed from here. The trial date had been looming on them for days, but, finally, the wait was over- tomorrow, Casey Novak was finally taking their case to court. However, she needed all the victims to testify- and that included Chase, Thirteen, and Cuddy. And House's girlfriend, though she had already agreed to testify, was extremely nervous about it and was close to just not showing up tomorrow at all.

Now, he just had to get through to her and convince her that the positives of testifying were worth the negatives. However, this was not proving to be a very easy task- not that he had expected it to be.

"Well, I do know why," he said softly. "I was just wondering if you did."

Cuddy whipped her head up to glare at him coldly, her eyes wide with shock and anger. "What?" she demanded.

He shrugged and said simply, "Well, I wasn't sure if you knew yourself, or if you just don't want to say it out loud. My vote is for the second option."

Cuddy glared at him a moment longer, then just sighed and rolled her eyes. "You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?"

"It's part of my charm."

With another sigh, Cuddy crossed her arms and looked away as she resumed tapping her foot. Finally, she stopped and asked, "Well, why the hell would I want you to testify? What exactly do I get out of it? He's stalking Chase, so he gets something out of sending Eric... um, this _bastard_ to jail, but I don't! And this lawyer, she has plenty of witnesses, why does she need me?"

House was about to answer when Cuddy continued with her speech, so he remained silent, deciding to let her just go on with her rant until she stopped. "And you know I find _really_ annoying? I'm practically being forced to testify but you know what's worse? While I'm up there _all_ you people, every single _damn_ person I know is going to be in there just listening to it! Why can't I just leave what happened in the past where it belongs and why can't the lawyer just go on with the trial without me? I mean, really! Would that be so bad? _No_! But no, god damn it, instead just fuckin _everything_ has to go wrong and I have to tell a roomful of people what happened- and the majority of those people happen to be people I _know_!"

House watched as Cuddy continued to pace back and forth, clearly agitated, until he was sure she was done. Finally, he said, "Look, Cuddy, I-"

"No!" she shouted, shaking her head vehemently. Okay, maybe her rant hadn't been finished. "House, I don't want answers right now! There _are_ no answers right now! The only answer is just to go on like nothing ever happened, but I can't do that when there's this huge trial going on _about_ what I'm trying to forget!"

When she looked at him and House saw her eyes shining with unshed tears, he sat up straighter and beckoned her. "Come here," he said softly. After a moment, she did, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight and never wanting to let go.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

Cameron looked around the unfamiliar room in distaste, then sighed and turned back to Chase. "You know, this place really sucks."

"Wow, aren't you observant," Chase said as he walked forward, tossing his jacket on the plain bed, pretty much the only furniture in the 'safe house', which was really just a two star motel room. "And I really don't need to add 'toxic housing' to the other things on my list to deal with."

"I'm sorry," she said, wrapping her arm around him and winking at him. "Really, all this place needs is some new, clean furniture... a good paint job... an interior decorator... bug spray..."

"Okay, not helping!" Chase said with a chuckle, then kissed her cheek before sitting down on the bed and pulling her down with him. "And, under normal circumstances, I would suggest us simply having sex to make the night go away... however, I'd rather not get bitten by one of these numerous bugs and end up with malaria or something, so let's not do that."

Cameron laughed, then cuddled up against his side as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "True, true. Well, we're only here until this trial is over. Then we can go over to my place, have a little fun. How does that sound?"

He smiled in excitement before kissing her again. "Oh, that sounds great. I can't wait." He allowed Cameron to distract him a moment longer, but, in truth, his mind was on an entirely different matter.

While Cameron had had a meeting down at the hospital with the board of directors- since Cuddy still wasn't back yet- Chase had gone out for drinks with a certain someone, and the conversation he had had with her was still weighing on his mind quite heavily.

_Earlier that day_

Chase looked over at Thirteen, who was sitting next to him and staring into her glass of water like it held the answer to life itself. He had originally gone over to her apartment, but she had asked if they could go out to a bar instead. He had acquiesced, though was a little confused- it wasn't like she could drink with her pregnancy.

Finally, he leaned forward and asked quietly, "Thirteen, why didn't you tell us when it happened?"

She glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye, then just shrugged. "What exactly was I supposed to say? I think the patient might have cancer, I was raped, wait, scratch that, make it an infection? It's not exactly a dinner conversation- plus I only found out I was... pregnant a couple days ago."

"How far along are you?" he asked after a moment, looking her over. It couldn't have been too long, since it didn't look like she'd gained any weight.

Thirteen hesitated, then said, "Two months," without looking at him. After another moment, she rubbed one hand over her stomach and admitted softly, "I'm a little scared... you know, for the baby."

Chase waited in confusion for her to continue, but when she didn't and continued to stare at her lap, he asked softly, "Why? Do you think you'll be a bad mother, or because you'll be raising him without a father, or...?"

Thirteen shrugged and bit her lip before replying, "Both, and... well, before I knew I was pregnant, I kind of... drank. Alot. It wasn't uncommon for me to have a couple of glasses of wine slash bottles of beer each night. Frankly, I'm surprised that no one ever noticed how often I came into work hungover."

Chase stared at her, then sighed. "Oh. You're afraid that all the drinking might have harmed the baby."

It was a statement, not a question, but she answered anyway. "Yes."

After another moment of hesitation, he asked quietly, "Have you considered an abortion, or-"

"Oh no," she said coldly, raising her eyes up to meet his. He leaned back, slightly shocked at her expression. "I'm keeping this baby, Chase. I am _not_ going to _kill_ my own child!"

He blinked in surprise, but when she looked away again and took another drink of water, he gave a slight smile and said lightly, "Not pro-abortion, I see."

Thirteen smiled without humor and shook her head. "You know, its weird. Before I found out I was pregnant, I wasn't really for either side. Now, though... I can't _imagine_ getting an abortion. That's murder."

"Well, then, have you thought about maybe giving the baby away, an adoption?"

Once again, Thirteen shook her head. "No, no, I... I want this baby. I don't care that he won't have a father and it doesn't matter how painful it is for me. I want this baby." After a moment, she looked up at him, her eyes widening with surprise with what she saw in his expression. "Wait a minute... you asking because you're looking to adopt?"

Chase blinked in shock, then shook his head. "What? No! No, I'm... well, I... I've never really thought about it," he admitted after a second, biting his lip. "I mean, kids, I... I don't know, its a big step- and Cameron and I aren't even married."

Thirteen gave him a small smile and said, "Well, you've been dating for almost three years now. It's pretty close to official already. And one thing you should know if you've been dating her for so long is if she wants kids or not."

With a sigh, Chase swallowed down the rest of his drink, shaking his head. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure she does want kids," he said sourly. Thirteen, sensing there was more to the subject, stayed silent and let him talk. "I know because she had froze several embryos before her husband died. She told me that, if she never found someone, that she wanted to at least have a way to remember him. As far as I know, she still has them."

Thirteen hesitated, then said, "Surely, if you tied the knot off with her... then she would get rid of them and-"

"No she won't! They're all she has left to remember the first man she ever really _loved_ by! Just because she loves me doesn't mean she doesn't still love him! And I can't just ask her to get rid of them- hell, I don't even know if she wants kids with _me_!"

After a moment of silence, Thirteen put a hand on his arm and said, "Talk to her." With that, she got up and left, leaving some money behind to pay for her drink.

_Present_

Chase hesitated, then took Cameron's hand and said, "Listen, Allison, there's something I want to talk to you about..." 

Please review


	14. Chapter 14

Okay, I lied. Still long waits between chapters because my teachers sprung exams up on us without ever mentioning it before. But school is out in less than a week.

Oh my god. I've been reading too much latin- when I was proofreading this chapter, I realized I typed latin word for 'nevertheless' instead of the English one. 0.0 *is terrified of becoming more nerdy than I already am*

Sean: Once again, I don't remember what your reviews said. But this a 'note to self' that I stopped training with Pikachu. Marth is next! SQUEEEEE! 

**Warning: from here on out, this story will contain themes of alcoholism and self-harming- specifically, the sections about Thirteen. May trigger. These sections will be set off as '13 13 13' instead of 'HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE' as a warning.**

**Chapter 14**

Chase smiled at Cameron, trying to appear at ease, though this was possibly one of the most unnerving situations he had ever been in. Eric Mitchel's trial was coming to a close; it only required three more witnesses- Cuddy, Thirteen, and himself.

First, the prosecution got their turn. Casey Novak walked over to him and asked steadily, "Dr. Chase, can you please tell the court what you found, upon inspection of the defendant's house?"

Chase swallowed, then said, "It looked like any normal house, except when we went to inspect the bedroom. Once again, nothing out of the ordinary, but when we looked in the closet, we found numerous suspicious objects like handcuffs or rope. We assumed he might just be into rough sex and were going to move on when we a scrapbook fell to the floor and opened to the middle. Then we saw picture of our patient, Eric Mitchel, on top of over a dozen different women..."

He trailed off here, but Casey prompted him. "And what was he doing in this pictures?"

Chase hesitated, then said loudly, "Raping or killing them."

Casey smiled reassuringly at him, then turned and walked back to the prosecution table as she said, "No more questions."

Chase would have dearly to, at this point, simply go over to Cameron and take her home- although that would mean a return to the dreaded 'baby' discussion that had been going on for the past week- but first he had to answer questions from the defense attorney. Questions like what the hell he had been doing in Mitchel's house in the first place and why the hell they hadn't called the police when they saw the scrapbook.

"So. Doctor... Chase, is it? You say you were in the defendant's home?"

Chase hesitated, then said nervously, "Yes."

Said defense attorney- whose name Chase had already forgotten- asked, "Well, you would care to explain what you were doing in there? Or how you got in, for that matter? Because, my client says he never gave you a key and, in fact, had no idea you ever went to his home in the first place."

Chase glanced anxiously at Cameron before clearing his throat and saying, "I was checking his home for any environmental toxins that could have caused his symptoms. It was purely medical."

"You forgot to answer how you got inside."

"I, um... I found a key above the door frame," he said, glancing nervously at the jury. They were looking between him and the defense attorney uncertainly, as if they were unsure what to believe.

"Ah," the defense attorney said. "Just... found a key under the door frame. And broke into his house. Is this something you do on a regular basis, Dr. Chase? And before you answer, I feel compelled to remind you that you are under oath."

Chase swallowed nervously, then spoke up. "On a regular basis? No. And only when I'm searching a house for a cause for their symptoms."

"Really?" the defense attorney asked as she paced back and forth. "Even after breaking into someone's house nearly caused the death of one of the doctors on your team, when he contracted a parasite from someone's home? Even after you nearly broke your leg trying to escape from the _police_ because of one of these little escapades? Even after-"

"Is there even a point to this line of questioning?" Casey interrupted as she got to her feet, glaring at the defense attorney, "Or is my fellow lawyer here simply trying to make my witness look bad?"

"Oh, there is a point," the defense attorney assured the judge.

After a moment, the judge nodded, but said, "Make it quick."

"I will. Now, doctor, since you make such a habit of breaking into people's houses, you certainly could have quiet few charges of breaking and entering stacked up. That's alot of years in prison."

"Is there a question there, Langan?" Casey asked sharply from behind.

"Yes, there is, Ms. Novak. Dr. Chase, isn't the only reason you agreed to testify today is because The People offered you amnesty for all those past crimes? Certainly a worthy cause to create fake evidence, if you-"

"Objection!" Casey exclaimed, getting to her feet. "Relevance- and the defense has-"

"Sustained, Ms. Novak," the judge interrupted coldly before transferring his cold glare to the defense attorney. "The jury will disregard the defense's last statement, as Mr. Langan has no basis for it. And unless he has any further, _on topic_ questions, Mr. Langan can sit down."

"No further questions," Langan said simply before turning his back on a confused Chase and a furious Casey.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

Thirteen watched as Casey paced back and forth, ready to begin her questioning. Chase had already called her and told her what Casey had told him- that the defense attorney was trying to make them all out to be what the lawyer had termed 'liabilities'. He had tried to convince the jury that Chase was a criminal and had faked the evidence, and, simply based off that, Thirteen had a pretty good idea of what he would try and do to her.

First, though, were Casey's questions. "Dr. Hadley, can you please tell me what happened on the night of March the 13th?"

Thirteen nodded, swallowed her nerves, then said, "I went to a bar after work. I had had a pretty... well, horrible day, so I had a drink, and then another one, and then another one. I met a guy before I started drinking, and we just started talking. Eventually, I got up to leave, but took a cab because I didn't want to risk driving. When I got home, I just went to sleep on the couch. I, um... must have left the door unlocked, because when I woke up, the guy from the bar was there."

"And is that man here now?"

"Yes," Thirteen said, turning her cold glare to Eric. He winked at her and Thirteen immediately shrunk back. Casey saw and moved so she was between her and her rapist, nodding at her encouragingly.

"Can you point him out to the court please?"

Thirteen nodded as Casey moved aside, then pointed right at Mitchel. "He's right there."

"Thank you. Now, what did the defendant do _after_ you woke up?"

Casey moved in between her and Mitchel again, and Thirteen took a deep, shuddering breath before forcing out, "He, ah... He said I probably had a headache, since I had had so much to drink the night before... and that he knew the cure for it. He kissed me and then started to take my shirt of but I said no, and he... he hit me. I was still a little, um, woozy, so I couldn't fight him too hard... I couldn't stop him before he... ra- raped me. Then he said he had to go to work, but would be back the next night. After he left, I went to work and stayed there for five days straight. By the time I came back, he wasn't there."

Casey nodded again, then said, "And you got pregnant from the rape, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"No further questions." Casey smiled at her, then turned and left her at the mercy of the defense lawyer.

He got up and walked over to her, saying as he did so, "I'm going to keep this short, Dr. Hadley. I simply have two questions- did you know my client before the night when he allegedly raped you, and how were you so sure he was the father?"

Thirteen blinked- they were surprisingly easy questions. "No, I did not know him, and I was sure because he was the only man I'd slept with in the last five months."

"Really? So you don't have sex often?"

"Your Honor, objection!" Casey exclaimed, getting to her feet and glaring at the defense attorney. "I do _not_ see how that is relevant at _all_ to this trial today!"

The defense attorney shook his head and said quickly, "Just give me a moment to make my point, Your Honor."

The judge hesitated, then said, "All right, but I'm only giving you a moment, Langan."

"That's all I need. Answer the question, Dr. Hadley."

She swallowed, then said, "With men- no."

"With men? So you have sex with women often?"

_Now_ Thirteen realized what he was trying to do- make her out to be a whore. And, unfortunately, her answers to the biased question wouldn't help discount that theory. "Well, um... often may be a bit of an exaggar-"

"I'll rephrase; could you hazard a guess at how often you have sex- with men _or_ women?"

Thirteen bit her lip anxiously, then forced herself to answer. "About once a week."

"Oh, really? So, if you have sex that often, you could certainly forget a one night stand- like my client. And if he had sex with you before, he might have thought that the night he allegedly raped you was just a repeat of that, and that you were willing. And, for someone who sleeps around as much as you do, it surely it wouldn't be too hard for you to forget one or two men, now could it?"

"Objection!" Casey half-shouted, jumping to her feet once again. "Your Honor..."

"Sustained- that's quite enough, Langan," the judge snapped, glaring at the defense attorney. Thirteen blushed furiously, staring down at her hands as the defense attorney walked back to his table with a smug smirk.

"Your Honor, can I redirect?" Casey demanded, shooting daggers with her eyes at Langan. The judge waved her on, so Casey got to her feet and walked quickly over to Thirteen. "Dr. Hadley, do you EVER invite men you barely know into your home simply to have sex?"

This, she could answer without any embarrassment. "No," she said firmly, glaring at Langan furiously. Of course, the jury was already convinced that she was a whore. Nothing Casey said could fix that now.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

House sighed unhappily, watching as Cuddy was sworn in. He had already heard about the defense attorney's attempts to lie about Chase and Thirteen and wasn't exactly looking forward to round three.

And as if the defense going after Cuddy wasn't enough, his girlfriend's nightmares had been getting progressively worse ever since the trial date had been set. Last night, it had taken House almost an hour to calm her down after she had woken up screaming yet again, and, as usual, any hopes of further sleep were nonexistent.

Casey, fully aware that this was her most traumatized witness and her testimony would be critical in a guilty verdict, proceeded with caution. Fortunately for her, Dr. Cuddy's record would be the hardest for the defense to taint. She just had to hope that closing arguments tomorrow went better then the rest of the trial had.

She positioned herself directly in Cuddy's line of vision, so she couldn't see Eric, then said, "Dr. Cuddy. Can you please tell the court about your relationship with the defendant, prior to the night where he _allegedly _raped you?"

"He was my _ex_-boyfriend. He broke up with me after I told him my pregnancy test had been a false positive, and I wasn't pregnant."

"And what happened the night he came back to your apartme-"

"Objection, leading," Langan said from behind, seemingly with no other purpose then to annoy Casey.

Resisting the urge to turn and either roll her eyes, glare at him, or smack him- personally, she loved option three- Casey said coldly, "I'll rephrase. Did you see the defendant again, after he broke up with you?"

"Yes. He came back to my apartment about a month ago. He forced his way in and... and I think he thought that I had been lying about the false positive... he said I had had an abortion. That it was _my_ fault his mother killed himself. He... he said that... I didn't have the right to kill _our_ baby, and that... he would show me control, and..." She stopped her, biting her lip hard to stop from crying.

"What happened next?" Casey asked gently.

"He... he ripped off my shit, and... and started to, um... rape me. He only stopped because House- my boyfriend- came to my place in the middle of it. Eric ran out the window before House knew he was there. My boyfriend drove me to the hospital and I told him what had happened."

Casey, who had already presented the findings of the rape kit to the jury, nodded gratefully and said, "Thank you. No further questions."

Cuddy watched as the ADA walked back to the prosecution table, slightly longingly- she really didn't want to be left alone with the defense attorney.

Nevertheless, she found herself gazing steadily as Langan approached smugly, his hands clasped behind his back. "What a touching tale, Doctor. My client breaks up with you after you receive the devastating news of a false positive pregnancy test, and then, months later, you let him in and he rapes you, out of blue."

"I... I... first of all, I did not _let him in_, he forced his way in, and I did not just-"

"How about you answer this question, Doctor- can you think of any reason why he would come back after months of no contact and rape you, just like that? Because I certainly can't."

"Your Honor!" Casey exclaimed, glaring at Langan as she got to her feet once again. "Dr. Cuddy is here to testify about what he did, not his reasons for doing it!"

"Agreed. Langan, I am getting _estremely_ tired of all these shenanigans. Unless you actually have a good question for the witness, sit down before I find you in contempt of court."

"I'm just merely trying to make sure my client knew it was rape, Your Honor. Now, Dr. Cuddy, when you say my client 'forced his way in'- well did you do anything to stop him? Did you try and kick him out?"

Cuddy swallowed nervously and said, "Yes, yes, I did, but-"

"Why didn't you just slam the door in his face when you saw him?"

"I... I was just surprised-"

"Did you tell my client to leave?"

"No, I couldn't breathe-"

"Did you-"

"Your Honor!" Casey shouted as she forced herself upright. "Is Langan going to let the witness answer a single question or not?"

Langan raised a hand before the judge could order him to and said, "I'm sorry, Your Honor. But, based off the witness's answer, se didn't say no, she didn't fight him- sounds consensual to me."

Casey stared furiously at Langan while Cuddy looked down at her lap and bit her lip again, still fighting tears. Langan proceeded back to his table while Casey tried to do damage control, hoping that the jury could see through Lagan's facades, hardly able to believe he had the audacity to talk to a _rape victim_ like that.

Please review


	15. Chapter 15

Okay, folks, this is the last chapter. Thank you all for reviewing, and if you want a sequel, I'll work on one. But first, I HAVE to write and post my Kaleido Star fic, and I also have a bunch of summer work to get done for school- four chapters of math and three books and notes on said books, if you must know. So I'll do that stuff first. I also have to post a deleted scene for this fic- if you want, check it out when its ready!

Sara: Ah, poor, poor you in Tulsa. No cicadas=:D ! Also, you might find this amusing- my lowest exam grade, and the only one that's not an A... is my GYM EXAM. *facepalm* Doc Shelton is a KLJFKL:SDHFJDKLSAKLFJDSJFSDJL

This chapter has minor spoilers from my Aftershock series (SVU) but unless you've read it, you probably won't recognize the spoilers.

And my cut and paste is not working AGAIN so screw it, I'm not posting the warning. You all should know it by now anyway

**Chapter 15**

"Chase!" Cameron called from the kitchen, making him groan. "Get in here, we need to talk!"

With a sigh, Chase got to his feet and grudgingly headed off to Cameron, knowing what exactly what the following discussion would be about. Ever since he had tried to talk to her about his conversation with Thirteen in the bar- which had been over a week ago- it had been an ongoing argument between them, even though Chase was practically begging on his hands and knees for her to forget he had ever brought it up.

He had simply, after several minutes of trying to dance around the topic and not state it outright, said, 'I want kids,' and Cameron had exploded into a thousand different reasons why it was impractical- we both work all day, we're not married, our place isn't big enough, yada yada yada. Interestingly enough, she had never said that she didn't _want_ kids, just that it wasn't a good idea right now. But after Chase had said that he wanted her to throw away the frozen embryos, after several minutes of shocked silence, Cameron had simply stormed off to bed without saying anything. Whenever _he_ brought the topic again, that was the usual outcome, but on the rare occasion that she mentioned it, they ended up fighting for hours on end.

'Time to end this,' he thought as he headed off to talk with his girlfriend. "Cameron," he said firmly when he saw her cleaning out a cabinet, and walked over to stand in front of her. "I'm fine with not having kids _right now_, though I would like to have them someday. But, while I get your reasons for not throwing away the embryos... well, I'm ready to commit to this relationship. If you're not, then-"

"Chase!" Cameron exclaimed, gesturing for him to stop. "Chase, wait... I... I wanted to say that today I got the paperwork to throw them away."

He blinked, clearly shocked. He hadn't expected _that_ answer, not at all. "I... I... what?" he finally stammered, still staring at her in surprise.

Cameron hesitated, then said, "You were right. I wasn't holding onto them for something to remember him by... well, not at least... I wanted to have an alternative if we didn't work out. I mean, we've been dating for almost two years now, but I suppose I just was never _certain_ that something wouldn't happen... so, I wanted to make a deal with you, Chase. In truth, I want kids, too. But I'm not going to have them with you unless we get married. So... if you were to, say, propose... then I would throw the embryos away."

Chase sat there, frozen in shock. Out of all the possible outcomes for the ongoing argument, _this_ had been one that he had not foreseen. "I, uh... Cameron, I..." he stammered, unsure of what to say. She just smiled at him until he finally decided to just act on instinct.

Chase got down on one knee and looked up at, hopefully, his soon to be fiancée. "Well, I know I don't have a ring right now, but... Allison Cameron.. would you ma-"

"Yes!" she exclaimed before he even got finished, giving an ecstatic squeal before yanking him upright. Chase stood there, shocked, for a moment, before returning the kiss, unable to believe what had just happened.

**13 13 13**

Thirteen had sat on her couch, watching TV, for practically the entire day now. The numbing daytime shows weren't a substitute to cutting, but it was still pretty nice. And, while cutting usually made everything go away, and Thirteen saw absolutely nothing wrong with it, it did have the unfortunate side affect of often dripping blood on her furniture and clothes, and then it was impossible to get out. She laughed out loud at the thought, of how ridiculous it sounded- she was pregnant with her rapist's baby, she cut herself about ten times a day... and was worried about getting stains on the furniture.

She sighed, leaning back against the pillow, a conversation with the lawyer for her case playing back in her mind.

_"Look, I'm sorry that didn't go so well," Casey apologized to Chase, Cuddy, and Thirteen. "He was trying to make it seem like the evidence against his client was a criminal, a hooker, and a girl who was crying rape. Don't worry, I'm still pretty sure of a guilty verdict, his closing arguments were pretty shaky and mainly consisted of distraction techniques. Still, I'm sorry about what he put you through."_

_"It's fine," Chase said, then spotted Cameron behind Casey and mumbled something about having to go and hurrying over to her. Cuddy saw House waiting for her and didn't even bother replying and just ran straight over to him. Thirteen sighed, then started to turn away, stopping and crying out when Casey grabbed her arm. Thirteen tried to rip her injured arm out of the lawyer's grasp, but Casey refused to let go. _

_"Wait!" she demanded, yanking her closer and examining the cut on her arm before shaking her head and releasing her. "How long have you been cutting yourself?"_

_"I..." she stammered, __desperately trying to come up with an excuse, "I...uh-"_

_"Please, Dr. Hadley. I work sex crimes. I see this sort of thing almost everyday... how long?"_

_Thirteen hesitated, then just gave up with a sigh. "I don't know, exactly. I started when I found out I was pregnant because..."_

_"Because you couldn't use alcohol?" finished Casey, still watching her in concern. Thirteen blinked, surprised at her accurate appraisal of the situation, then nodded in agreement. "Listen, I know you don't see anything wrong with cutting, but... trust me, its not a good thing."_

_"How do you know?" Thirteen asked curiously, looking the lawyer over. Then, angrier, "How the hell would know anything about this?"_

_Casey hesitated, then shrugged simply and said, "Because I've been through it. Look, I'm not trying to tell you how to run your life or anything, but.. just trust me on this. Next time you get the urge to cut, try to hold out for ten, fifteen minutes. Keep doing that. Eventually, it'll get easier, and the urge will go away. It just takes a long while to get that easy."_

With another sigh, Thirteen looked despondently down at the many cuts on her bare arm, then just sighed. That conversation had been two days ago. Ever since that day, she had either cut herself more vehemently than before- and relished the pain afterwards- or tried to follow the lawyer's advice. It was surprisingly difficult to hold out for even five minutes, though the longer she resisted, the more the urge went away.

Groaning again, Thirteen tossed the remote across the room as yet another annoying daytime soap opera came on. God, she hated taking days of work. All she did was sit around all day and do nothing. Unfortunately, since Cuddy was still at home, Cameron had taken over and given everybody involved with the trial three days off, in hopes that the jury would return with the verdict by then.

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

House enjoyed taking days of work. He enjoyed making up fake reasons to get off work and enjoyed faking sick even more. Cuddy, however, was his exact opposite in that respect, and was itching for anything besides sitting at home all day. Especially because that left her empty hours where she could do nothing but think. And her thoughts, more often than not, turned towards a certain night about three weeks ago, nowadays. And that wasn't very fun to think about, not at all.

"Cuddy!" she heard a voice call from the kitchen- House.

She sighed, then shouted back, "What? I'm becoming educated in the world of boring daytime soap operas, so this better be important!"

House chuckled as he came back out into the living room, smiling slightly. "It is. That was that lawyer. The jury has the verdict, we need to be down at the courthouse in ten minutes."

Cuddy's smile immediately vanished, in its place appearing a nervous frown. "Oh... oh, I..." She bit her lip, then switched off the TV and quickly got to her feet. "Come on, lets go." Suddenly, it was rather hard to breathe, and she was finding it impossible to keep calm.

House noticed, and reached out to grab her hand as he said, "Cuddy. Everything's going to be fine. I promise."

She smirked and rolled her eyes. "Don't make promises you can't keep, House."

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE

So, finally, three days after closing arguments, the five doctors convened in the courtroom once again, ready to hear the verdict that could change their lives. The lawyer nodded at them encouragingly from where she sat at the front of the room as others filed inside. Somehow, the doctors all ended up in the back corner, the two couples holding hands and Thirteen lightly rubbing her stomach.

If Eric Mitchel was found innocent, the likelihood that he would ever leave Chase and Cameron alone was zero. And a stalker did not a happy marriage make. Thirteen would have to deal with the possibility of him someday trying to get custody of her child, which she would _not_ allow.

Cuddy would have to find a way to get past the paranoia of him coming back someday, and all of them knew that he wasn't going to stop with his crimes until he was either in prison or dead.

House squeezed Cuddy's hand as the jury came back, hoping that things didn't end badly.

Chase allowed Cameron to lean her head on his shoulder, both knowing if the verdict was not guilty, their marriage plans would have to be held off for a while.

Thirteen continued rubbing her stomach and just wondered what the hell she was going to do, guilty or not guilty verdict aside.

They all looked towards the jury as the foreman read from the piece of paper, "We find the defendant, Eric Mitchel, guilty."

Well, sorry for the cheesy ending, but I suck with endings. I'm off to eat pizza (yes, Sean, diggornio or however its spelled. NOW *explosions*) Please review and tell me if you want a sequel or not!


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